Nearly $4.8 billion invested since start of Move Illinois Program
DOWNERS GROVE, IL, July 27, 2017 — The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors today approved two new construction contracts to certified small businesses, as well as three new professional engineering service contracts, together totaling more than $8.3 million at its July meeting.
More than $272 million in construction and professional service contracts have been approved by the Tollway Board so far in 2017, as part of the sixth year of the Tollway’s 15-year, $14 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.
To date, nearly $4.8 billion has been invested by the Illinois Tollway since the Move Illinois Program began in 2012, with nearly $1.2 billion of that total committed to small, diverse and veteran-owned firms. In addition, the capital program has created or sustained an estimated 53,350 total jobs as of June 2017.
“The Illinois Tollway remains committed to putting together projects of interest to small construction companies and increasing the number of firms competing for Tollway work,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Greg Bedalov. “Since launching our own Small Business Set-Aside Program in 2013, the Illinois Tollway has awarded a total of 40 contracts and of the 63 unique firms that bid on these contracts, 43 of the companies had never previously worked on a Tollway contract.”
The program is part of the Tollway’s Small Business Initiative which puts small businesses in a position to succeed and grow as prime contractors by identifying select construction contracts, generally with values of approximately $1 million, which can be set aside specifically for small businesses and also by establishing small business goals for select construction contracts on a project-by-project basis.
July construction contracts awarded include:
- A $2 million contract to Fence Masters Inc. for right-of-way fence and gate installation on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) between the Elgin Toll Plaza and the Kennedy Expressway.
- A $1.2 million contract to Elite Fiber Optics LLC for fiber optic cable removal on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) between the Elgin Toll Plaza and Illinois Route 53.
July professional engineering services contract awards include:
- A $1.9 million contract to Infrastructure Engineering Inc. to design a portion of a new interchange to connect the eastbound Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and the new I-490 Tollway.
- A $1.7 million contract to Graef-USA Inc. to design a portion of a new interchange to connect the westbound Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and the new I-490 Tollway.
- A $1.5 million contract to the team of Wynndalco Enterprises LLC and Midwest Engineering Associates Inc. for design services for pavement and structural preservation and rehabilitation on the Tri-State Tollway (I-94) from Half Day Road to west of the Edens Spur Toll Plaza.
The contracts approved today include two prime consultants and nine subconsultants that are certified as disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned business enterprise (D/M/WBE) firms and three subconsultants that are certified veteran-owned firms.
Commitments for D/M/WBE participation range from 34 to 94 percent per contract, and commitments for veteran participation range from 3 to 5 percent per contract. Of the more than $8.3 million awarded for these contracts, nearly $6.4 million, or 77 percent, is committed to small, veteran-owned or disadvantaged firms.
Illinois Tollway professional engineering services contracts are awarded through the qualifications-based selection process (Illinois Public Act 87-673 {30 ILCS 535/1-535/80}, Architectural, Engineering and Land Surveying Qualifications-Based Selection Act), which requires state agencies to select professional architects, engineers and surveyors on the basis of demonstrated competence and professional qualifications.
Construction contracts for Illinois Tollway projects are competitively bid under the rules of the Illinois Procurement Code. As part of the process, contractors’ bid submissions for construction work advertised by the Tollway are opened and read aloud during public bid opening meetings, which are also broadcast live on the Tollway’s website. Following an agency review process, the lowest, responsible and responsive bid is presented to the Illinois Tollway Board of Directors for review and approval.
The Illinois Tollway provides detailed information about current Tollway construction contracts through the Construction Contract Tracker on the Tollway’s website at illinoistollway.com. Contractors and consultants can also access resources online to help them learn about how to do business with the Tollway, including construction bid-letting schedules, professional service bulletins, manuals and construction bid calendars. These resources can be found in the “Doing Business” section of the Tollway’s website.
About Move Illinois
The Illinois Tollway’s 15-year, $14 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future, is improving mobility, relieving congestion, reducing pollution, creating as many as 120,000 jobs and linking economies throughout the region. The first five years of Move Illinois are on schedule and within budget, delivering the rebuilt and widened Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) as a state-of-the-art 21st century corridor and opening a new interchange connecting the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to I-57. Progress continues on projects addressing the remaining needs of the existing Tollway system, delivering the Elgin O’Hare Western Access Project and planning for emerging projects, including reconstruction of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294).
About the Illinois Tollway
The Illinois Tollway is a user-fee system that receives no state or federal funds for maintenance and operations. The agency maintains and operates 292 miles of interstate tollways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois, including the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355), the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80) and the Illinois Route 390 Tollway.
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