Central & Southern Illinois CFI Community Charging Program

The Illinois Finance Authority/Climate Bank seeks qualified firms through a competitive sealed Invitation for Bid (IFB #26-560IFA-IFA56-B-51668) to provide comprehensive labor, materials, equipment, and services for the installation, operation, and maintenance of Level 2 and DC Fast Charging (DCFC) community electric vehicle charging stations across Central and Southern Illinois. The procurement encompasses the design, installation, and five-year operation of 31 Level 2 EVSE stations distributed across 14 public sites in Adams, Jersey, Macon, Macoupin, McLean, Morgan, St. Clair, and Union Counties, in partnership with 12 local site hosts including educational institutions, state parks, conservation areas, and municipalities. All charging stations must be fully installed and operational within 12 months of contract execution and maintained at a minimum 97% uptime per charger annually, with financial penalties of $100 per charger per day (capped at $15,000 annually) for failures to meet this threshold. Qualified vendors must demonstrate at least two years of experience in Level 2 and DCFC installation, testing, and maintenance with completion of at least one prior project in Central or Southern Illinois, submit detailed pricing using a provided Excel template organized by Equipment, Architectural and Engineering, and Construction categories, and provide references from at least two clients including at least one government entity. The procurement is funded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Grant Program and requires compliance with federal prevailing wage requirements, the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, BABA compliance, OCPP 2.0.1 or higher software standards, and provision of a five-year warranty covering all parts and labor. Bidders must submit all required documentation including vendor disclosures, the completed IFB offer form, references, pricing spreadsheets, and a Business Enterprise Program utilization plan electronically through BidBuy by April 17, 2026, with bids remaining firm for 90 days from opening.

This procurement includes a Business Enterprise Program (BEP) utilization goal of 3% for service-disabled and veteran-owned small businesses and an aspirational goal of 30% participation by certified BEP vendors including minority-owned businesses (MBEs), women-owned businesses (WBEs), and businesses owned by persons with disabilities (PBEs), with failure to submit a properly completed Utilization Plan rendering a bid non-responsive. The contract is contingent upon availability of funds and may be terminated or suspended if appropriations prove insufficient, with the Illinois Finance Authority reserving the right to award to the lowest-priced responsive and responsible bidder meeting all specified criteria. Vendors must ensure compliance with multiple federal nondiscrimination statutes including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Age Discrimination Act, and Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for accessible EV charging station design. The project requires integration with FHWA's EV-ChART federal data reporting platform across nine modules with quarterly submissions for charging sessions and uptime data and annual submissions for maintenance and operator program costs. Local government partners are required to provide a minimum 20 percent cost share of eligible project costs, which include on-site electrical service equipment (not to exceed $120,000), grid updates, charging equipment procurement and installation, and fixed operating and maintenance costs through the five-year operating period. While specific award value is not disclosed in the solicitation documents, the Illinois Finance Authority received approximately $15 million in federal CFI grant funds for this Central and Southern Illinois deployment, with the total contract price to be entered by the State prior to execution based on the detailed pricing submissions from competing bidders.