Non-competitive Procurement, Sole Source

According to the Illinois Municipal Purchasing Act, Chapter 65, Section 5/8-10 et. seq. of the Illinois Compiled Statutes, “Contracts Not Requiring Competitive Bids,” the Non-Competitive Procurement method is used for the procurement of goods and services which by their nature are not adapted to award by competitive bidding,.

A non-competitive procurement can be for any materials, supplies, equipment and/or services that are not suitable for competitive bidding for any of, but not limited to, the following reasons:

contracts for the services of individuals possessing a high degree of professional skill where the ability or fitness of the individual plays an important part;
contacts for supplies, materials, parts or equipment which are available only from a single source;
contracts for printing Finance Committee pamphlets, Comptroller's estimates, and departmental reports;
contracts for printing or engraving of bonds, water certificates, tax warrants and other evidences of indebtedness;
contracts for utility services such as water, light, heat, telephone, or telegraph; and
contracts for the purchase of magazines, books, periodicals and similar articles of an educational instructional nature, and the binding of such magazines, books, periodicals, pamphlets, reports and similar articles.

Requests for non-competitive procurement are initiated by the Using Department and are subject to approval by the Chief Procurement Officer.

Non-Competitive Procurement Applications

In order to better promote transparency in government procurement, the City of Chicago will begin posting its Non-Competitive Review Board (NCRB) contract applications to the Department of Procurement Services (DPS) website. Each NCRB Application will be posted on the DPS website for a period of three (3) weeks before the Board considers the application. We ask that you please take a moment to review the application information on the website. If you have any questions regarding an applicant's candidacy for Non-Competitive Review, please contact DPS at NCRBinfo@cityofchicago.org.