Section 1.5400  General

a)         The CPO-GS may establish a joint purchasing and cooperative purchasing program. [30 ILCS 525/2]

b)         This Subpart applies when the CPO-GS or a State agency and one or more Illinois governmental units, non-Illinois governmental units, qualified not-for-profit agencies, or members of a group purchasing organization, consortium, or cooperative, aggregate their needs to jointly procure supplies or services.

c)          This Subpart describes and implements approved methods and requirements of source selection using governmental joint purchasing and non-governmental joint purchasing.

d)         In the event of a conflict between this Subpart and the other Subparts, when the CPO-GS or a State agency and one or more Illinois governmental units, non-Illinois governmental units, qualified not-for-profit agencies, or members of a group purchasing organization, consortium or cooperative jointly procure supplies or services, this Subpart controls.

e)         All joint and cooperative purchasing or procurement activities and contracts of the CPO-GS or a State agency must be authorized by the CPO-GS or designee, or must be approved by the CPO-GS or designee.  All requests for joint purchasing authorization, at a minimum, shall state the parties to the joint or cooperative purchase and the availability of the resulting contract to other governmental units or qualified not-for-profit agencies.  

f)         Protests

1)         When the CPO-GS or a State agency is the lead State entity, any person may submit a protest related to the notice of the procurement, the solicitation document, any pre-submission conference, and any decision to reject a late bid or offer.

2)         When the CPO-GS or a State agency is the lead State entity, any person who has submitted a bid or offer may protest a decision to reject that person's bid or offer, or award to another bidder or offeror or person who submits a quote or submission.

3)         When the CPO-GS or a State agency makes a business decision to piggyback, rather than use another procurement method, the piggyback cannot be protested.

g)         All contracts shall state the parties to the joint purchase and the availability of the resulting contract to governmental units and/or qualified not-for-profit agencies.

h)         A procurement file shall be kept for all joint purchases, including, but not limited to, release off a joint purchase master contract.  In addition to the requirements of Section 1.2080, as applicable, the procurement file shall contain the following:

1)         Except for piggyback and a release off a multiple award joint purchase master contract, an intent to participate in a joint purchase (which may be encompassed in the solicitation or may be a stand-alone document) and the CPO-GS' authorization for the joint purchase.

2)         For piggyback, the CPO-GS' authorization.

3)         For a release off a multiple award joint purchase master contract, the SPO's approval.

(Source:  Amended at 46 Ill. Reg. 10208, effective June 2, 2022)