Announcement of an Exempt Purchase

The OSF Clinical Research Department is an internal department of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center (the hospital and clinics where clinical research takes place). The Research Staff has the training, experience and certifications to ensure proper coordination and management of the various stages of the studies. The research coordinators nurses work closely with University Investigators to recruit human subjects, perform screening tests, maintain patient documentation, and have the expertise to follow requirements of the Institutional Review Board, reducing risk of HIPAA violations. The University does not have staff that provide these same services.

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)) Vendor is maintaining the cost, as in previous contracts, with the only exception of a 3% increase in benefits. Vendor does not negotiate on pricing, and charges are the same for any other vendor. With the required use of the OSF clinical researchers (due to patients location) and with short staffing-it is anticipated we will utilize their coordinators more in the future.