(30 ILCS 500/45-35)
    Sec. 45-35. Facilities for persons with severe disabilities.
    (a) Qualification. Supplies and services may be procured without advertising or calling for bids from any qualified not-for-profit agency for persons with severe disabilities that:
        (1) complies with Illinois laws governing private
    
not-for-profit organizations;
        (2) is certified as a sheltered workshop by the Wage
    
and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor or is an accredited vocational program that provides transition services to youth between the ages of 14 1/2 and 22 in accordance with individualized education plans under Section 14-8.03 of the School Code and that provides residential services at a child care institution, as defined under Section 2.06 of the Child Care Act of 1969, or at a group home, as defined under Section 2.16 of the Child Care Act of 1969; and
        (3) meets the applicable Illinois Department of Human
    
Services just standards.
    (b) Participation. To participate, the not-for-profit agency must have indicated an interest in providing the supplies and services, must meet the specifications and needs of the using agency, and must set a fair market price.
    (c) Committee. There is created within the Department of Central Management Services a committee to facilitate the purchase of products and services of persons so severely disabled by a physical, developmental, or mental disability or a combination of any of those disabilities that they cannot engage in normal competitive employment. This committee is called the State Use Committee. The committee shall consist of the Director of the Department of Central Management Services or his or her designee, the Director of the Department of Human Services or his or her designee, one public member representing private business who is knowledgeable of the employment needs and concerns of persons with developmental disabilities, one public member representing private business who is knowledgeable of the needs and concerns of rehabilitation facilities, one public member who is knowledgeable of the employment needs and concerns of persons with developmental disabilities, one public member who is knowledgeable of the needs and concerns of rehabilitation facilities, and 2 public members from a statewide association that represents community-based rehabilitation facilities, all appointed by the Governor. The public members shall serve 2 year terms, commencing upon appointment and every 2 years thereafter. A public member may be reappointed, and vacancies shall be filled by appointment for the completion of the term. In the event there is a vacancy on the Committee, the Governor must make an appointment to fill that vacancy within 30 calendar days after the notice of vacancy. The members shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for expenses at a rate equal to that of State employees on a per diem basis by the Department of Central Management Services. All members shall be entitled to vote on issues before the committee.
    The committee shall have the following powers and duties:
        (1) To request from any State agency information as
    
to product specification and service requirements in order to carry out its purpose.
        (2) To meet quarterly or more often as necessary to
    
carry out its purposes.
        (3) To request a quarterly report from each
    
participating qualified not-for-profit agency for persons with severe disabilities describing the volume of sales for each product or service sold under this Section.
        (4) To prepare a report for the Governor annually.
        (5) To prepare a publication that lists all supplies
    
and services currently available from any qualified not-for-profit agency for persons with severe disabilities. This list and any revisions shall be distributed to all purchasing agencies.
        (6) To encourage diversity in supplies and services
    
provided by qualified not-for-profit agencies for persons with severe disabilities and discourage unnecessary duplication or competition among facilities.
        (7) To develop guidelines to be followed by
    
qualifying agencies for participation under the provisions of this Section. The guidelines shall be developed within 6 months after the effective date of this Code and made available on a nondiscriminatory basis to all qualifying agencies.
        (8) To review all bids submitted under the provisions
    
of this Section and reject any bid for any purchase that is determined to be substantially more than the purchase would have cost had it been competitively bid.
        (9) To develop a 5-year plan for increasing the
    
number of products and services purchased from qualified not-for-profit agencies for persons with severe disabilities, including the feasibility of developing mandatory set-aside contracts. This 5-year plan must be developed no later than 180 calendar days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly.
    (c-5) Conditions for Use. Each chief procurement officer shall, in consultation with the State Use Committee, determine which articles, materials, services, food stuffs, and supplies that are produced, manufactured, or provided by persons with severe disabilities in qualified not-for-profit agencies shall be given preference by purchasing agencies procuring those items.
    (d) Former committee. The committee created under subsection (c) shall replace the committee created under Section 7-2 of the Illinois Purchasing Act, which shall continue to operate until the appointments under subsection (c) are made.
(Source: P.A. 96-634, eff. 8-24-09; 97-895, eff. 8-3-12.)