Announcement of an Exempt Purchase

The procurement of Oxford Scholarship Online (OSO) access to thousands of academic eBooks published by Oxford University Press across the humanities, social sciences, sciences, medicine, and law. Oxford Chicago Scholarship (OHO) access to over 1,000 eBooks published by the University of Chicago Press in the humanities, social sciences, and life sciences. Oxford Medicine Online access to leading medical textbooks and handbooks covering more than 85 specialty and sub-specialty areas.

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)) If this is not approved, the State will face financial impacts on multiple levels. Faculty research output would decline due to lack of access to essential journals and databases, leading to fewer external grants and reduced funding opportunities. Students would also be affected by limited access to credible academic resources, which could lower educational quality and program competitiveness. In addition, institutions may be forced to seek alternative subscriptions on an individual basis, resulting in higher procurement costs and inefficiencies. Collectively, these impacts would reduce external revenue streams while increasing administrative expenses for the State.