Announcement of an Exempt Purchase

Mentor implants are used in cosmetic reconstructive surgery. Mentor offers tissue expanders and breast implants that are used in reconstructive surgeries. The Mentor Worldwide, LLC tissue expanders are used to create additional matching skin to repair damage caused by birth defects, burns, injuries, infections, tumors, or disease. Tissue expanders are intended for temporary subcutaneous implantation and require periodic, incremental inflation with sterile saline for injection until the desired amount of tissue is developed. Once, a desired pocket size is created a breast implant is placed to fill the void left behind by the tissue expander.

This purchase is exempt from the usual selection processes of the Procurement Code because the procurement expenditure is for medical supplies or medical services necessary for the delivery of care and treatment at medical, dental, or veterinary teaching facilities utilized by SIU or U of I (30 ILCS 500 / 1-13(b-5)) Mentor surgical implants are used in direct patient care and without the Mentor implants the University of Illinois Hospital would not be able to offer certain cosmetic reconstructive surgeries that in turn, would drive patients elsewhere and result in a loss of revenue to the Hospital.