SOLE SOURCE - IDOC Legal Publications for Individuals in Custody

The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) intends to award a sole source contract to West Publishing Corporation for the provision of legal publications required for individuals in IDOC custody. The contract will cover the update and maintenance of the law book collections in 32 IDOC law libraries for a three-year term from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024, with no renewal options. The total contract value is not to exceed $7,901,592, with annual escalations. IDOC is required by statute and the U.S. Constitution to provide access to the courts through law library services, and the West Publishing materials, which utilize a proprietary indexing system, are essential to meeting this requirement. IDOC has sole sourced these law library materials from West Publishing for over 10 years, as alternative vendors do not provide the same proprietary indexing system. The hearing for this sole source award will be canceled unless an interested party submits written comments or requests a public hearing by Friday, November 26, 2021 at 4 pm.

This sole source contract opportunity is restricted to West Publishing Corporation, as the provider of the copyright-protected, proprietary law book series required by IDOC. IDOC has determined this sole source contract with West Publishing is the only economically feasible option to meet its legal obligations. Funding for this contract will be provided through state appropriated funds. There are no set-aside designations or restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond, as this is a sole source procurement.