c) Bidder Submissions

1. 1) Bid Form. The Invitation for Bids may include a form or format for submitting bids. If a form or format is specified, vendor shall submit bids as instructed. The invitation for bids shall be available to the public.
2. 2) Bid Samples and Descriptive Literature. SBEL may require bid samples or descriptive literature in order to evaluate required characteristics of the items bid. Any unsolicited bid samples or descriptive literature is submitted at the bidder's risk, may not be examined or tested, will not be deemed to vary any of the provisions of the Invitation for Bids, and may not be utilized by the vendor to contest a decision or understanding with SBEL.

d) Public Notice

1. 1) Publication. Every procurement for supplies and services in excess of the small purchase amount that must be procured using an Invitation for Bids shall be publicized in the Illinois Procurement Bulletin (see Section 2600.200).
2. 2) Distribution. Invitations for Bids or Notices of the Availability of Invitations for Bids may be mailed or otherwise furnished to a sufficient number of bidders for the purpose of securing competition. Notices of Availability shall, at a minimum, indicate where Invitations for Bids may be obtained; generally describe what is needed; and indicate the due date for bids. Where appropriate, the Procurement Officer may require payment of a fee or a deposit for supplying the Invitation for Bids.

e) Pre-Bid Conference

A pre-bid conference may be conducted to enhance understanding of the procurement requirements. The pre-bid conference shall be announced as a part of the Invitation for Bids notice. The conference may be designated as "attendance mandatory" or "attendance optional". The conference should be held long enough after the Invitation for Bids has been issued to allow bidders to become familiar with it, but sufficiently before bid opening to allow consideration of the conference results in preparing their bids. Nothing stated at the pre-bid conference shall change the Invitation for Bids unless a change is made by written amendment to the Invitation for Bids. Amendments shall be supplied to all those prospective bidders known to have received an Invitation for Bids. If the conference is mandatory, the amendment shall be supplied to attendees only.

f) Amendments to Invitations for Bids

1. 1) Form. Amendments to Invitations for Bids must be clearly identified and reference the portion of the IFB it amends and must be made available to all prospective bidders known to have received an Invitation for Bids.
2. 2) Timeliness. Amendments shall be made available within a reasonable time to allow prospective bidders to consider them in preparing their bids. If the time and date set for receipt of bids does not permit such preparation, the amendment shall extend the response time. If SBEL deems necessary, the response time may be extended by fax or telephone and confirmed in the amendment.

g) Pre-Opening Modification or Withdrawal of Bids

1. 1) Procedure. Bids may be modified or withdrawn by written notice received in the office designated in the Invitation for Bids prior to the time and date set for bid opening.
2. 2) Disposition of Bid Security. If a bid is withdrawn in accordance with this Section, the bid security, if any, shall be returned to the bidder.

h) Receipt, Opening and Recording of Bids

1. 1) Receipt. Upon its receipt, each bid and modification shall be time-stamped but not opened and shall be stored in a secure place until the time and date set for bid opening. If a bid is opened in error, the file shall so state.
2. 2) Bids and modifications shall be opened publicly at the time, date, and place designated in the Invitation for Bids. Opening shall be witnessed by a State employee or any other person present, but the person opening bids shall not serve as witness. The name of each bidder, the bid price, and such other information as is deemed appropriate by the Procurement Officer shall be recorded and the name of each bidder read aloud or otherwise made available. The name of the witness shall also be recorded at the opening. The winning bid shall be available for public inspection after award, along with the record of each unsuccessful bid.

i) Bid Evaluation and Award

1. 1) General. The contract is to be awarded to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder whose bid meets the requirements and criteria set forth in the Invitation for Bids, except as permitted in the Code and this Part. The Invitation for Bids shall set forth the requirements and criteria that will be used to determine the lowest responsive bidder. No bid shall be evaluated for any requirements or criteria that are not disclosed in the Invitation for Bids.

2. 2) Responsiveness. A bid must conform in all material respects to the Invitation for Bids.

   1. A) Product or Service Acceptability. The Invitation for Bids shall set forth any evaluation criteria to be used in determining product or service acceptability. It may require the submission of bid samples, descriptive literature, technical data, references, licenses, or other information or material. It may also provide for such inspection or examination as SBEL deems necessary before the contract is awarded.
   2. B) The acceptability evaluation is not conducted for the purpose of determining whether one bidder's product or service capability is superior to another, but only to determine that a bidder's offering is acceptable as set forth in the Invitation for Bids. Any bidder's offering that does not meet the acceptability requirements shall be rejected.
3. 3) Determination of Lowest Bidder. Following determination of product or service acceptability as set forth in this subsection (i), bids will be evaluated to determine which bidder offers the lowest cost to the State in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in the Invitation for Bids. Only objectively measurable criteria that are set forth in the Invitation for Bids shall be applied in determining the lowest bidder. Examples of such criteria include, but are not limited to, transportation cost and ownership or life-cycle cost formulas. Evaluation factors need not be precise predictors of actual future costs, but to the extent possible the evaluation factors shall be reasonable estimates based upon information the State has available concerning future use and shall provide for the equitable treatment of all bids. Pricing for optional supplies or services, or for renewal terms, may be considered, particularly when the pricing for such items or terms is unbalanced when compared to other pricing in the bid.
4. 4) Price Negotiation. Negotiations are permitted with the low bidder to obtain a lower price for the item bid.
5. j) The Procurement Officer may award to other than the lowest responsible and responsive bidder upon a written determination that award to another bidder is in the State's best interest. The Procurement Officer may choose a bidder other than the lowest responsible and responsive bidder for reasons including but not limited to a difference in quality or speed or delivery. The name of the bidder selected, pricing, and the reasons for selecting this bidder instead of the low bidder must be published in the Bulletin.
6. k) The successful bidder shall be notified of award and such notification may be in the form of a letter, purchase order or other clear communication. In procurements over the small purchase limit set in Section 2600.315 (Small Purchases), notice of award shall be published in the Bulletin.
7. l) The IFB or RFP and any resulting contract should define whether prices cover transportation, transit insurance, delivery, installation, taxes, and any other costs.
8. m) The contract resulting from this process shall reflect the awarded requirements and no material changes shall be made except in compliance with the requirements of the Code and this Part, including, but not limited to, source selection and Bulletin posting requirements.