From a current State of Illinois purchasing employee:

All purchases must be bid to small businesses first.  Storage of supplies is limited, so they are needed “Just in Time”.  I could be sending bids to more than 80 small businesses. They have 2-3 days to get bids in, but if they are still higher than a large company, I must apply for a waiver to purchase from the large company.  Failure to receive a waiver before placing an order subjects me to a Class 4 Felony.  Additionally, all those small businesses have the right to review the bids.

Government works just like a business, yeah right.