Section 5000.231  Acquisition of Leases by RFI

All leases, except those falling under the exceptions listed in Section 5000.232 or emergency procurements (Section 5000.250) will be acquired as follows.

a)         All leases will be procured by a Request for Information (RFI).  RFIs will contain at a minimum the following information:

1)         A description of the general type of property to be leased.

2)         The proposed use of the property.

3)         The proposed term of the lease.

4)         Preferred location of the property.

5)         General information such as size of space, configuration desired and any other appropriate requirements.

6)         Address to which requests for proposal may be sent.

7)         Date on which responses are due.

b)         Notices of the RFI shall be:

1)         published at least 14 days prior to the deadline for responding in both the Illinois Procurement Bulletin and a newspaper having general circulation in the area in which space is being sought.

2)         of an appropriate size to draw attention and shall be placed in the legal advertisement section.

c)         A proposal package shall be mailed to all parties requesting one in writing.  Proposal packages may also be mailed to owners of property that may meet the State's needs.

d)         Proposal packages shall at a minimum include:

1)         A Proposal Form.

2)         A copy of the Agency Program Requirements.

3)         An envelope for submitting the proposal.

4)         The date on which proposals must be submitted.

e)         All responses to the RFI will be publicly opened on the announced opening date.  Names of all parties submitting proposals will be made available to the public.

f)         DCMS representatives may conduct discussions with respondents to further clarify the needs of the State or obtain further information on responses.

g)         On the basis of the responses to the RFI, the Director of DCMS or his designee shall make a written determination of which RFIs submitted are responsive to the State's basic criteria.

h)         DCMS representatives will enter into negotiations with all parties submitting responsive RFIs for the purpose of obtaining the best terms for the State.  A written record of all negotiations will be maintained by DCMS.

i)          The DCMS leasing manager shall review all relevant information and shall recommend to the Director of DCMS which proposal should be accepted.

j)          The Director of DCMS will make the final award, which will be announced in the Illinois Procurement Bulletin.

k)         The lease will be reduced to writing and executed by all parties.

l)          Should the lowest priced proposal not be selected, the Director of DCMS shall publish notice, along with the reasons for such selection, in the next available edition of the Procurement Bulletin.

m)        The State reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to request and evaluate "best and final" proposals.  All decisions on compliance, evaluations, terms and conditions shall be made solely at the State's discretion and made to favor the State.

(Source:  Added at 22 Ill. Reg. 20545, effective November 16, 1998)