More than $4.8 billion invested since start of Move Illinois Program
DOWNERS GROVE, IL, August 24, 2017 – The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors today approved two new construction contracts to certified small businesses, as well as six new professional engineering service contracts, together totaling nearly $41.3 million at its August meeting.
“The contracts approved by the Tollway today not only invest our funds to ensure well-maintained, reliable roadways for our customers, but they also are serving as investments in local business growth and development,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Greg Bedalov. “More than half of these contracts include Partnering For Growth Program relationships with experienced firms mentoring new, up-and-coming firms as they work together to deliver engineering services to the Tollway.”
The Tollway’s Partnering For Growth (P4G) Program benefits the Tollway by increasing the pool of firms to support Move Illinois and fostering competition in the marketplace. P4G provides the opportunity for prime firms to receive credit toward advertised goals for serving as a mentor and providing meaningful instruction, technical assistance and beneficial resources to a disadvantaged or veteran-owned firm.
More than $313.4 million in construction and professional engineering services 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. Since the beginning of the capital program, there have been 80 P4G mentoring partnerships.
To date, more than $4.8 billion has been invested by the Illinois Tollway since the Move Illinois Program began in 2012, with more than $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 54,070 total jobs as of July 2017.
August construction contracts awarded include:
- A $2 million contract to Natural Creations Landscaping, Joliet, IL, for tree planting and landscaping on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) between the Elgin Toll Plaza and the Kennedy Expressway.
- A $382,668 contract to Star & Crest Decorating Inc., Chicago, IL, for systemwide toll plaza signage improvements.
August professional engineering services contract awards include:
- A $13.4 million contract to exp U.S. Services Inc., Chicago, IL, to design the new interchange to connect the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and the new I-490 Tollway.
- A $8 million contract to RS&H Inc., Jacksonville, FL, and Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson and Associates Inc., St. Paul, MN, for roadway and bridge design for the new I-490 Tollway between Devon Avenue and Pratt Boulevard.
- A $5.5 million contract to Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company Inc., Downers Grove, for roadway design for the new I-490 Tollway between Pratt Boulevard and Touhy Avenue.
- A $5 million contract to Globetrotters Engineering Corporation, Chicago, IL, for construction management as needed on the Tri-State Tollway (I-294).
- A $5 million contract to Geo Services Inc., Naperville, IL, for geotechnical services as needed systemwide.
- A $2 million contract to SE3, Downers Grove, for construction management as needed systemwide.
The contracts approved today include two prime contractors, three prime consultants and 20 subconsultants that are certified as disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned business enterprise (D/M/WBE) firms and four subconsultants that are certified veteran-owned firms.
Commitments for D/M/WBE participation range from 29 to 97 percent per contract, and commitments for veteran participation range from two to 10 percent per contract. Of the nearly $41.3 million awarded for these contracts, more than $22.6 million, or 55 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.
# # #
Contact:
Dan Rozek