Move Illinois Program also increasing support for Partnering for Growth mentorship opportunities
Downers Grove, IL, September 27, 2018 – The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors today approved two construction contracts and three professional engineering service contracts totaling $26.3 million at its September meeting. Nearly $517 million in construction contracts have been approved by the Tollway Board in 2018, as part of the seventh year of the Tollway’s 15-year, $14 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.
In addition, Tollway Board approval of the September contracts also includes a Partnering for Growth agreement, which brings the total to 149 partnerships that have been supported by Tollway contracts. The Partnering for Growth Program encourages contractors and professional services firms to assist disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned business enterprise firms and small and veteran-owned businesses in remaining self-sufficient, competitive and profitable by serving as mentors providing meaningful instruction to the small and diverse firms.
“Partnering for Growth is the best way for small, disadvantaged and veteran firms with little or no Tollway project experience to learn the ropes on the job from experienced business owners,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Liz Gorman. “Many of the firms benefitting from our program have not only gone on to be awarded prime contracts with the Tollway, but they also have in turn reached back and mentored other small firms.”
To date, nearly $6.1 billion has been invested by the Illinois Tollway since the Move Illinois Program began in 2012, with nearly $1.8 billion of that total committed to small, diverse and veteran-owned firms. In addition, the capital program has created or sustained an estimated 62,790 total jobs as of August 2018.
September construction contracts awarded include:
- A $2.1 million contract to Meade Inc., McCook, IL, for systemwide closed circuit television camera and ramp queue detection system installation.
- A $742,459 contract to Fox Excavating Inc., Batavia, IL, for building removal services along the Tri-State Tollway (I-294).
September professional engineering services contract awards include:
- A $19.9 million contract to State Materials Engineering, East Dundee, IL, for systemwide material engineering services.
- A $2.1 million contract to Illinois Construction & Environmental Consulting Inc., Wheeling, IL, for construction management services on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) at the Illinois Route 47 Interchange.
- A $1.5 million contract to STV Inc., Chicago, IL, for design services for the Stearns School Road Bridge on the Tri-State Tollway (I-94).
Illinois Tollway professional engineering services contracts are selected in accordance with 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, rather than low bid. Contract services staff from the Engineering Department checks statements of interest to ensure that specified pre-qualifications and documentation requirements are met. Tollway engineers and managers then review and score statements of interest based on the advertised selection criteria service. Tollway Diversity Department staff also reviews the statements of interest for compliance with advertised diversity criteria. Executives from the Engineering Department then review the scoring, as well as each firm’s capacity, and identify the top recommended firms per project. To complete the selection, a committee of Tollway professionals and independent engineering officials considers the top recommended firms and finalizes the top three firms in ranked order. The Tollway then seeks to negotiate a final contract price with the top-ranked firm. The award of a professional engineering services contract is dependent on approval by the Tollway Board of Directors.
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 six years of Move Illinois are on schedule and within budget, delivering the new Illinois Route 390 Tollway and a rebuilt and widened Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) with its new SmartRoad corridor, as well as 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 new I-490 Tollway Project and reconstruction of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) and planning for emerging projects.
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 294 miles of roadways 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.
Contact: Dan Rozek