FY27 Water Department Utility Maintenance

The City of Bloomington, Illinois is issuing an Invitation to Bid (ITB) for FY27 Water Department Utility Maintenance services (Bid #2026-39), with sealed bids due electronically via the City's e-Procurement Portal (OpenGov) by April 15, 2026 at 10:00 am CST. Questions regarding the solicitation must be submitted by April 7, 2026 at 2:00 pm CST, with an anticipated award date of April 27, 2026. The procurement seeks qualified contractors to provide on-call and scheduled maintenance, repair, and replacement services for the City's municipal water distribution system and related infrastructure on a time and materials basis. Deliverables include water service line repairs and replacements, water main repairs and replacements, fire hydrant and valve maintenance, water pump and motor repairs, water meter and premise plumbing work, and miscellaneous utility maintenance including excavation, trenching, and site restoration. The contractor must furnish all labor, equipment, materials, tools, and supervision necessary to perform work in accordance with City of Bloomington standards, IEPA regulations, AWWA standards, IDOT traffic control standards, and applicable OSHA safety requirements, with 24/7 emergency response capability required. Pricing proposals must include hourly rates for eight labor categories: Laborer/Cement Mason (5,900 hours), Operating Engineer (3,600 hours), Plumber (5,800 hours), Truck Driver (2,400 hours), and corresponding emergency rates for each category. The successful bidder will be selected based on being the lowest responsible, responsive bidder, with evaluation consideration given to quality of services, conformity with specifications, suitability to requirements, and delivery terms. Contractors must maintain comprehensive insurance including $2 million general liability, $2 million automobile liability, and $5 million umbrella coverage, provide a bid guarantee of at least ten percent of the total bid amount, and upon award, furnish performance and payment bonds equal to 100% of the contract price within ten business days.

This procurement is subject to Illinois Prevailing Wage Act requirements, with contractors required to submit certified payroll records monthly to the Illinois Department of Labor, and a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) is mandated for construction contracts exceeding $50,000 unless waived by the City. The PLA terms cannot require union membership or fair share payments from contractor employees and must not exceed economic standards established by the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act. Bidders must demonstrate aspirational diversity goals including 8% subcontracting to minority-owned, female-owned, or disadvantaged business enterprises and 10% minority worker participation with 2% female worker participation. For bids exceeding $100,000, proof of participation in approved apprenticeship and training programs is mandatory. Contractors must comply with OSHA standards, substance abuse prevention requirements under Public Act 95-0635, and the Employment of Illinois Workers on Public Works Act. While no incumbent contractors or existing vendors are specifically identified in the procurement documents, contractors are responsible for utility location through JULIE (Utility Locating Information for Excavators) and must ensure all materials originate from NAFTA or CAFTA signatory countries. The specific contract award value is not disclosed in the available documents; however, the time and materials payment structure combined with the significant hourly allocations across multiple labor categories suggests a substantial contract value, with the requirement for a PLA and performance bonds indicating an estimated project cost exceeding $50,000.