Announcement of an Exempt Purchase

The University of Illinois Department of Psychology is needing to procure a NIRSport2 16-16 Core Unit with software for research purposes. The Unit needs to 1) be a single lightweight portable, multichannel, whole-head fNIRS system that can be applied safely and comfortably to young children 3-6 years of age. 2). have custom head probe configuration flexibility to simultaneously measure from the particular brain regions targeted in this study. Specifically, it needs to be able to simultaneously cover and record from left prefrontal, right prefrontal, left parietal, and right parietal brain regions in 3-6 year old children. 3). Have associated headgear/head probe that allows very quick application and adjustment for comfort required for young children with varying levels of tolerance and patience. 4). Associated headgear must allow adjustment for different hair types including hair types such thick dark hair and afro-textured hair historically excluded from use with fNIRS technology due to application and signal challenges they pose for optical imaging/fNIRS. 5). Acquisition software must accompany the Unit to allow for quick assessment and adjustment for signal quality in children. 6). Integrated physiological artifact and motion reduction and detection mechanisms must also be part of the unit.

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)) .