Announcement of an Exempt Purchase

IT consultant for an app-based research project under the Principal Investigator. This contract includes the expansion of existing apps to support new R01 extensions of the research work.

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)) This procurement is in the best interests of the University because SPRI are domain specialists with expertise in the existing code base used for the project. Their specialized knowledge ensures continuity and efficiency in the work, which cannot be easily replicated by another vendor. Replacing SPRI with a different vendor would result in significant additional costs, both in terms of time and money, due to the need for onboarding and adaptation to the projects unique requirements. This partnership ensures the successful and cost-effective advancement of the projects objectives.