Announcement of an Exempt Purchase

The Merative MarketScan database license provides access to health insurance data for ongoing research projects within the Department. Faculty use this database to develop new grant proposals, while graduate students utilize it for researching and writing their capstone and dissertation projects.

This purchase is exempt from the usual selection processes of the Procurement Code because the procurement expenditure is for periodicals, books, subscriptions, database licenses, and other publications procured for use by a university library or academic department, except for expenditures related to procuring textbooks for student use or materials for resale or rental. (30 ILCS 500 / 1-13(b)(5)) This procurement is in the best interests of the University because the MarketScan database license provides essential health insurance data critical to the Departments ongoing research projects. Faculty rely on this database to develop new grant proposals, while graduate students utilize it for their capstone and dissertation projects. MarketScan is the only database on the market that offers the necessary scope and level of detail required for the Departments research efforts, making it an invaluable resource for advancing academic and research objectives.