Diverse Suppliers @ ISU
Illinois State University holds diversity and inclusion as a core value. In addition to efforts to promote inclusion, equity, diversity, and accessibility for our students, faculty, and staff, ISU connects with diverse suppliers to bolster business opportunities for all.
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Doing Business with ISU
ISU’s contracting process follows state laws and procurement code for state institutions of higher education. These laws and rules require the University to pursue different methods of soliciting vendors for our needs, which are then further defined by University policies and procedures. These methods break down into a handful of notable dollar thresholds. If a contract meets or exceeds a threshold, the process of procuring that product or service changes.
Under $20,000
University departments can choose a vendor to work with directly under $20,000. Multiple quotes are not required.
Between $20,000 and Public Solicitation Limit
University departments must solicit a minimum of three quotes before a procurement will be processed by Purchasing (unless an appropriate justification is provided) if the procurement is between $20,000 and the threshold for a public solicitation for that commodity. ISU requires a minimum of one quotes from a certified diverse vendor. According to state rules, the lowest quote that provides the services and/or products needed will be selected (unless an appropriate justification is provided, again).
While ISU uses the Business Enterprise Program (BEP) and Veterans Business Program (VBP) as our preferred supplier diversity certifications, any certification from a reputable supplier diversity organization is acceptable, including NMSDC, WBENC, City of Chicago, Cook County, other state programs, &c.
At the Public Solicitation Limit
Different commodities and services have different public solicitation limits. $100,000 is the threshold for most general products and services, including construction, while certain specialized fields like architecture and engineering services have their threshold set at $25,000. If a procurement’s estimated cost exceeds this threshold, the University must post the procurement for the public to respond to. All state universities, ISU included, post their public solicitations on the Illinois Procurement Bulletin for Public Institutions of Higher Education.
If you’re interested in doing business with the University on projects of this size, we strongly recommend registering with this public bulletin. Doing so is free and doesn’t require a complex registration process. During registration, you can indicate what kinds of solicitations you’re interested in being notified about and the bulletin will automatically email you any solicitations posted within those commodities/services.
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