Section 6.122  Requests for Information

a)         When the Department does not have sufficient information, including, but not limited to, available supplies, products, or services, to issue a solicitation, the Department, in consultation with the SPO, may issue a request for information (RFI).  Public notice of the RFI shall be published in the Bulletin at least 14 days before the date set for the receipt of information.  The submission of information by a vendor in response to an RFI is not a prerequisite for that vendor to respond to a subsequent solicitation for which information was solicited, and the issuance of an RFI does not commit the Department to make any procurement of any kind.

b)         RFI responses are subject to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) [5 ILCS 140].  Responses that contain confidential information or trade secrets may be exempted from disclosure under FOIA. (See Section 7(1)(g) of FOIA.) The Department may assert this exemption provided the respondent furnishes the Department with both a redacted and unredacted copy of his/her response.

c)         An RFI is to be used for information gathering only and is not a vehicle for procuring supplies or services.

(Source:  Added at 44 Ill. Reg. 6222, effective April 8, 2020)