Illinois Procurement Code

The Illinois Procurement Code, enacted by the Illinois Legislature effective July 1, 1998, governs all procurement activity of the State of Illinois. The code established an administrative structure and requirements for directing all activities involved in the procurement for goods, services, concessions, and leases for the various state agencies.

Administered by a five-member Procurement Policy Board appointed by the Governor, there are four main divisions, including the Higher Education Division, which is made up of the thirteen state universities.

The Procurement Code was enacted to establish an open, fair matrix for competitive source selection. Several categories of purchases have been established including commodities and equipment; professional and artistic services; and construction. Bids or other competitive source selections are required for amounts at the following bid thresholds:

By Law, all bids and awards must be advertised in the Illinois Public Higher Education Procurement Bulletin.  This is a free, publicly available web site created and supported by the Higher Education division members.  All notices published for bids or awards must appear in the Bulletin for a minimum of 15 days from the date of publication before any further action toward a purchase can take place.  Once complete, with all required approvals, bids, RFPs and sole sources will be posted by Procurement Services on the Illinois Public Higher Education Procurement Bulletin.

1. In addition are the following requirements, unless otherwise designated, all purchases must be made with a purchase order or a P-Card.  See Procurement And Payment To Suppliers Without A Purchase Order (Revision 1.1 dated 1/19/17).
2. All purchase orders between $0.00 - $4,999.99 require an authorized buyer signature
3. Any purchase order over $4,999.99 requires a buyer signature along with the signature of the Director, Associate Director, or Manager of Procurement Services.
4. Any requisition that requires the University to enter into a contract requires the vendor to complete a “Certifications” form. 
5. Purchase requisitions over $20,000.00 require the vendor to complete a “Certifications” form.
6. Purchase requisitions from $25,000.00 to $249,999.99 require Presidential approval with the exception of library purchases and bookstore purchases for resale. See section 9-4 of the Business Procedure Manual.
7. Purchase Requisitions of $50,000.00 and greater require the vendor to complete a “Financial Disclosures and Conflict of Interest” form.

Obligations of $250,000 or more require Board of Trustees approval.