The Illinois Tollway board of directors approved three new construction contracts totaling $59.4 million and five new engineering contracts totaling nearly $107 million at its July meeting. More than $775 million in construction and engineering contracts have been approved by the Tollway board so far in 2015, as part of the fourth year of the 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.
As of July, more than $3.8 billion in construction and engineering contracts have been approved by the Tollway board since the Move Illinois Program began in 2012. In addition, the capital program has created or sustained an estimated 27,740 total jobs as of June 2015.
“As part of the Move Illinois Program, the Illinois Tollway plans to reconstruct the Central Tri-State Tollway [I-294] between Balmoral Avenue and 95th Street, with advance work starting as early as 2018,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Greg Bedalov. “Given the integral role that this corridor plays in the regional transportation network and economy, [July’s] contract awards will allow us to begin master planning and design services now to ensure that the Tollway is prepared to undertake this major reconstruction project.”
The eight new contracts approved include two small business set-aside contracts awarded as part of the Tollway’s Small Business Initiative and five contracts with veteran participation goals. In addition, the July contracts include three prime consultants, 22 subconsultants and 11 subcontractors that are certified as disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned business enterprises (D/M/WBE). Commitments for D/M/WBE participation range from 15 to 73 percent per contract. Of the $166.3 million in awarded contracts, more than $33 million, or 21 percent, is committed to veteran-owned, small or disadvantaged firms.
Construction contracts awarded include:
A $57.2 million contract to Curran Contracting Co., Crystal Lake, Ill., for roadway resurfacing and ramp reconstruction on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) between U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 52.
A $1.1 million contract to Monaco Mechanical Inc. Lisle, Ill., for HVAC improvements at the 82nd Street, 83rd Street and 163rd Street Toll Plazas on the Tri-State Tollway (I-294); the Aurora Toll Plaza on I-88 and the Boughton Road Toll Plaza on the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355).
A $1.1 million contract to Voris Mechanical Inc., Glendale Heights, Ill., for HVAC and boiler improvements at the South Beloit Toll Plaza and the Elgin Toll Plaza on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and the North Avenue Toll Plaza on I-355.
Engineering contracts awarded include:
• $106.3 million for master planning and design services for the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) between 95th Street and Balmoral Avenue.
• A $38.9 million contract to H.W. Lochner, HDR Engineering Inc. and Quigg Engineering Inc., Chicago, Ill., for master plan and design services for the Mile Long Bridge.
• A $38.3 million contract to Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. EFK Moen LLC and Hanson Professional Services Inc., Chicago, Ill., for master plan and design corridor management services between Cermak Road and Balmoral Avenue.
• A $23.4 million contract to TranSystems and exp US Services Inc., Schaumburg, Ill., for master plan services between 95th Street and Cermak Road.
• A $5.7 million contract to Bowman, Barrett & Associates Inc., Chicago, Ill., for master plan and design services for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Bridge on I-294.
• A $600,000 contract to d’Escoto Inc., Chicago, Ill., for construction management services for maintenance facilities improvements at the Hillside (M-2) maintenance site on I-294 and the Downers Grove (M-14) maintenance site on I-355.
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 Web site. 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 Web site at www.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 Web site.
Illinois Tollway engineering 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, rather than low bid. Staff from the Department of Engineering checks statements of interest to ensure that specified pre-qualifications and documentation are met and then reviews and scores statements of interest based on the selection criteria outlined for each project. Executives from the Department of Engineering then review the scoring, as well as each firm’s capacity, and identify the top recommended firms per project. To complete the review, 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.
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