Announcement of an Exempt Purchase

Vital Strategies will provide communications and public relations support to the Tobacconomics brand and team. Deliverables will include updated messaging and materials that align with Tobacconomics expanded scope of work. The Vital Strategies team will work closely with the Tobacconomics team through regular meetings and email communication to ensure that goals are met and deliverables satisfy expectations. This is for the Bloomberg Tobacco Tax Project

This purchase is exempt from the usual selection processes of the Procurement Code because the procurement expenditure is for performing sponsored research and other sponsored activities under grants and contracts funded by the sponsor or by sources other than State appropriations. (30 ILCS 500 / 1-13(b)(8)) Vendor is an international non-profit organization with a focus on global public health. Their communications team includes experts in the public health branding and messaging with many years of experience on major public health communications campaigns. It ensures that the UIC research team delivers the specific outputs required by project sponsor Bloomberg Philanthropies as part of the $4M project aims.