IFB Automotive Parts Cleaning Machine Rentals

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority is issuing an Invitation for Bid (IFB) numbered 25-1031R for automotive parts cleaning machine rentals. This solicitation seeks a qualified vendor to provide fourteen tub-style, solvent-based cleaning machines with comprehensive service, maintenance, and repair capabilities. The machines must meet specific technical requirements including a minimum 25-gallon tank capacity, 20" x 32" x 7.5" tub dimensions, 300 gallons per hour submersible pump, flexible nozzle/hose, flow-through cleaning brush, stainless steel debris cup with filter strainer, overhead adjustable work light, and 120-volt ground fault protection. Twelve machines will be delivered to designated Tollway Maintenance Sites across Illinois locations including Alsip, Hillside, Park Ridge, Gurnee, Hoffman Estates, Marengo, Rockford, Aurora, DeKalb, Dixon, Downers Grove, and Bensenville, with two machines delivered to the Central Auto Parts facility in Downers Grove. The vendor must deliver and install all fourteen machines within three business days of contract start and provide monthly service including solvent replacement, filter cleaning/replacement, and additive level maintenance at no additional charge. All bids must be submitted electronically through BidBuy by March 20, 2026, with vendor questions due no later than March 11, 2026 at 10:00 am. The bid opening will occur electronically via Microsoft Teams, and bids must remain firm for 180 days from opening. Award will be made to the lowest-priced responsive and responsible bidder, and the state will evaluate bids based on responsibility, responsiveness, and price compliance with all specifications.

The initial contract term is two years, anticipated to run from May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2028, with one renewal option available for an additional two-year period from May 1, 2028 through April 30, 2030, with a maximum total contract term not to exceed ten years. No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are noted in the solicitation documents, though vendors claiming Illinois Business Preference or Domestic Product Preference must provide supporting documentation. All machines must remain vendor property throughout the contract period, and vendors must provide product literature and Material Safety Data Sheets for cleaning agents or solvents used, with bids lacking these documents deemed non-responsive. The vendor must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence with $2,000,000 aggregate, Automobile Liability of $1,000,000 combined single limit, and Workers Compensation with Employers' Liability of $1,000,000 per accident. Subcontractors with annual contracts exceeding $100,000 require prior written State approval and must complete Standard Illinois Certifications. No incumbent vendor or current contract information is disclosed in the available documentation, and no specific award value or budget range is provided; however, a $15 Minority Contractor Opportunity Initiative fee is required for any contract award of $1,000 or more. The resulting contract may be partially or fully funded with federal funds, with funding percentages to be disclosed upon award notification.