Sole Source Public Review - Civil Rights educational travel experience

City Colleges of Chicago's Business and Procurement Services department is pursuing a sole-source procurement for a civil rights educational travel experience from The Justice Journey Experience, with a public hearing on the sole-source determination scheduled for November 2, 2026 via Zoom and objection submissions due by that date. This is a restrictive procurement vehicle that filters bidders to a single vendor; interested parties may challenge the determination or submit capability statements by the hearing deadline.

The scope is a four-day civil rights educational immersion program serving approximately 14 participants (students and faculty/staff), traveling to Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham, March 31–April 3, 2027. Deliverables include round-trip airfare, ground transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, museum and historical site entry fees, subject-matter expert and eyewitness presentations, mandatory in-person orientation approximately two weeks prior to departure, chaperone discussion-circle training, and post-trip debrief. Post-journey deliverables must be completed by April 30, 2027.

The contract value is $54,366 for the initial term. The pricing structure is $3,888.14 per participant (double occupancy) plus $6,000 in facilitation fees. Payment is due in full by November 16, 2026, or in three equal installments on November 16, December 16, and January 16, 2027 via ACH. The contract term runs December 4, 2025 to May 31, 2026, though the actual program occurs in March–April 2027.

City Colleges justified the sole-source waiver based on The Justice Journey Experience's unique integrated pedagogy combining pre-trip preparation, expert presentations at each site, daily peer-led dialogue circles, and post-journey debrief—a facilitated learning sequence the department asserts is unavailable through standard tour operators. The vendor's prior performance under a previous sole-source contract was favorable. Contact William Moore, Procurement Contracts Administrator, at (773) 487-6958 or Wmoore48@ccc.edu for hearing registration details.