This instrument was funded by National Institute of Health (NIH) shared instrument grant S10 in which more than 10 UIC Primary Investigator (PIs') proposed to use this instrument for their research. If the instrument is not covered by service contract or warranty, the down time will be much longer than covered instrument because the manufacturer places the non-covered instrument on the lowest priority in service queue, which will jeopardizes these UIC PIs' research programs. Furthermore, this instrument is to replace the 10-years old Velos Pro dedicated in proteomics analysis, which contributed 50% of the total core revenue in the past 3 years in row. Two-thirds of the users were from UIC. If the instrument has long down time, it will pose a significant impact on UIC researchers and the core revenue. Therefore, it is critical to keep the instrument in warranty to ensure quick repair from manufacturer and maximum uptime for UIC users.

The university, on information and belief, has concluded that only one vendor can meet its need or can meet the need economically. That vendor is Fisher Scientific. The university has provided detailed justification to support its conclusion as shown on the attached Sole Source Justification Form.

Although the university has presented this as a sole source procurement, we are seeking competitive information from firms with the capability of meeting the university's need (even if performed in a manner different from what has been presented) to contact us and provide sufficient information to show the need can be met. If we receive that information, the Chief Procurement Officer will offer a public hearing to consider the matter. Hearing information is described below.

The University has determined that this purchase is only economically available from this source because the compatibility of equipment, accessories, replacement parts, or service is a paramount consideration.