Section 1120.2045  Prequalification

a)         General

1)         The CPO shall identify by publication in the Bulletin the categories of supplies and services (including professional and artistic services) for which the CPO may prequalify vendors of those supplies and services.  The CPO is not required to prequalify vendors but may do so when determination of a vendor's qualification prior to procurement would be advantageous to the State.

2)         The CPO may require that vendors be prequalified as a condition of being placed on the bid list.  An opportunity to prequalify shall be allowed at least one time each fiscal year.  The opportunity to prequalify shall be announced in the Bulletin.  The notice shall alert vendors that failure to participate in the prequalification process may result in the vendor being ineligible to receive contracts.

3)         When prequalifying a vendor, the CPO may limit prequalifications to determining whether a vendor has been and is likely to be "responsible" using the criteria set forth in Section 1120.2046.  The fact that a prospective vendor has been prequalified does not necessarily represent a finding of responsibility for a particular procurement.

4)         When prequalifying a vendor, the CPO may consider factors tailored to a specific procurement or type of procurement; the factor shall be announced in the Bulletin.

5)         Except in the case of professional and artistic services, distribution of and responses to the solicitation may be limited to prequalified vendors and award of a contract may be denied because a vendor was not prequalified.  If eligibility for the procurement will be limited to prequalified vendors, the IFB, RFP or other procurement request shall state that fact.

b)         Professional and Artistic Services

1)         Any prequalification of vendors of professional and artistic services shall include, at a minimum, a specified level of education, experience and technical ability and may require certification, licensure or membership in professional associations.

2)         Categories of services that may be professional, depending on the requirements for education, experience and technical ability, include, but are not limited to:

A)        medical;

B)        legal;

C)        accounting;

D)        general consulting.

c)         Qualified Products Lists 

Qualified products lists are treated in Section 1120.2050.

(Source:  Amended at 37 Ill. Reg. 3075, effective March 1, 2013)