Sole Source Evergreen Climate Innovations Sole Source Illinois Clean Energy Innovation Fund

The State of Illinois, through the Environmental Protection Agency, is issuing a notice of intent to award a sole source contract for the management and administration of the Illinois Clean Energy Innovation Fund. This is a non-competitive procurement designated as BidbuyNo 26-532EPA-ASSOC-B-51996, based on economic feasibility grounds pursuant to a Federal/State Cooperative Agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Illinois EPA. The procuring agency seeks a fund manager to conduct application reviews, perform due diligence evaluations, and coordinate with an Investment Committee of subject matter experts to select awardees for financial assistance. The fund targets early-stage, high-growth Illinois-based clean energy companies in sectors including renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy storage, water resource management, next-generation transportation, alternative fuels, bioproducts, precision agriculture, and smart grid technologies. The selected contractor will serve as a fiduciary for a revolving investment program utilizing federal ARRA and State Energy Program funds totaling $4,204,124 in principal previously conveyed for this purpose. The contract is valued at $1,000,000 on a not-to-exceed basis for the initial term from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with zero renewal options. The deadline for interested parties to submit written comments or request a public hearing is May 8, 2026, at 4:00 PM, with a scheduled public hearing on May 13, 2026, at 2:00 PM via WebEx to allow presentation of testimony regarding the sole source justification and award appropriateness.

This procurement is restricted to a single vendor based on the requirement for contract continuation with the original recipient of federal grant funds used to establish the Fund, as mandated by the Federal/State Cooperative Agreement. Evergreen Climate Innovations, formerly known as Clean Energy Trust, is the incumbent contractor and has been awarded nine prior sole source contracts with the Illinois EPA dating back to December 2017, with the most recent contract valued at $750,000. The Illinois EPA determined that competitive bidding would effectively terminate the Fund, as alternative vendors would require recapture of all principal, interest, and investment returns before assuming control of the existing fund assets. Evergreen is authorized to utilize up to 20 percent of investment proceeds for fund management and administrative costs, with an additional 10 percent available for capacity-building programming to support portfolio companies. The contract is funded entirely through federal sources, specifically the FY26 State Energy Program Grant, eliminating state appropriation requirements. No set-aside designations or restrictions on organization types are specified in the procurement documents, reflecting the sole source nature of the award. The State Purchasing Officer approved the sole source determination on April 28, 2026, and the Chief Procurement Office will render a final decision regarding approval to proceed with the sole source contract award following consideration of all testimony submitted by the May 8, 2026, deadline.