FY26 IDOT CO Certificate of Safety Decals-

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) issued an Invitation for Bid (IFB #26-494DOT-FINAD-B-49743) for FY26 Certificate of Safety Decals, with St. Clair County serving as the procurement jurisdiction. The solicitation seeks a qualified printing vendor to manufacture and supply four categories of motor vehicle inspection certificate decals: truck windshield certificates (blue, Pantone 279C), trailer certificates (green, Pantone 354C), school bus certificates (yellow, Pantone 109C), and rebuilt windshield certificates (silver, Pantone 6C), all serially numbered and packaged in books. The vendor must also provide year insert numerals stickers for 2027 and 2028 and monthly insert numeral stickers for all months in quantities of 24,000 units monthly for trucks and buses and 5,000 units monthly for trailers. Deliverables include submission of high-quality proofs within 10 days of request and final product delivery within 30 days of proof approval to the IDOT Commercial Vehicle Safety Section in Springfield, Illinois. Bidders must demonstrate experienced and knowledgeable printing capabilities, submit physical samples of previously produced windshield and exterior surface stickers for quality compliance review, and provide a detailed protection plan against theft and counterfeiting, including certification of 24-hour security at manufacturing facilities. All products must pass rigorous testing procedures including heat exposure, razor scraping, water soaking, refrigeration, dry ice application, and 300-hour accelerated weathering. The bid opening date was December 2, 2025, with written questions required seven days prior to that date, and all submissions were required exclusively through the BidBuy electronic procurement system.

No specific set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises, Business Enterprise Program, or Veterans Small Business Program utilization percentages were mandated in the solicitation, though vendors were required to submit applicable Business Enterprise Program or Veterans Small Business Program Utilization Plans if claiming preferences. The contract was awarded to Surys Inc. as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for a total of $68,550.00 for the initial six-month contract term (through June 30, 2026), with an option to renew for additional terms not to exceed ten years total; one unsuccessful bidder, R. R. Donelley & Sons Company, submitted a competing bid of $79,133.50. The contract does not permit subcontracting and requires all work to be performed within the contractor's premises, with all manufacturing processes subject to observation and inspection by State agents. Vendors must comply with the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, maintain general commercial liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence with $2,000,000 annual aggregate, and comply with federal domestic products manufacturing requirements unless exceptions apply under 30 ILCS 517. Any awarded contractor with a contract value of $1,000 or more must pay a $15 administrative fee for the Minority Contractor Opportunity Initiative, to be deducted from the first payment issued.