20 ILCS 861/20: Engagement prior to request for proposals.

The Director or the Director's designee may, prior to soliciting requests for proposals, enter into discussions with interested persons in order to assess existing market conditions and demands, provided that no such interested persons shall have any role in drafting any request for proposals, nor shall any request for proposal be provided to any interested person prior to its general public distribution. The Director may issue a request for qualifications that requests interested persons to provide such information as the Director deems necessary in order to evaluate the qualifications of such interested persons. This may include, but is not limited to, the ability of interested persons to acquire the property, as determined by the Director. Such engagement and discussions with interested persons are exempt from Sections 50-10.5, 50-39, 50-40, 50-45, and 50-50 of the Illinois Procurement Code.