Announcement of an Exempt Purchase

This exemption is for the purchase of Cochlear Americas implants and accessories for the treatment of severe hearing loss. Cochlear implants are electronic devices that bypass damaged parts of the inner ear to directly stimulate the auditory nerve, providing a sense of sound for people with severe to profound hearing loss. They consist of an external sound processor and an internal implant. The sound processor picks up sound, converts it into electrical signals, and sends it to the internal implant, which then stimulates the auditory nerve to be interpreted as sound by the brain. The process requires a surgical procedure, followed by activation and ongoing rehabilitation with a team of specialists to learn how to interpret the new signals.

This purchase is exempt from the usual selection processes of the Procurement Code because the procurement expenditure is for medical supplies or medical at a university-operated health care center or dispensary that provides care, treatment, and medications for students, faculty and staff (30 ILCS 500 / 1-13(b-5)) These are medical supplies used in direct patient care.