Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) will work closely with UIC team to coordinate efforts and assista any firm currently part of the Department of Defense's (DoD) supply chain in seeking to work with the DoD regardless of their defense dependency since cybersecurity and Defense Federal Acquisition Requisition Supplement (DFARS) compliance is critical to all firms doing business with the DoD. This grant is through the DoD Office of Economic Adjustment Grant awarded to the UIC Voorhees Center and the UIC Office of Innovation. As proposed in the second phase of the grant, IMEC will lead the cybersecurity initiative and hold workshops and company demonstrations throughout the State of Illinois.

This purchase is exempt from the usual selection processes of the Procurement Code because the procurement expenditure is for events or activities for which the use of specific potential contractors is mandated or identified by the sponsor of the event or activity, provided that the sponsor is providing a majority of the funding for the event or activity. (30 ILCS 500 / 1-13(b)(3)) IMEC is a team of improvement specialists and technicians dedicated to providing organizations with the tools to create sustainable competitive futures.