Rend Lake Refuge - boat dock project

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is procuring construction services for a boat dock upgrade project at Rend Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area near Bonnie, Illinois. This project involves comprehensive dock system improvements at two public access areas—Waltonville Dam Access Area and Nason South Access Area—designed to address chronic inundation issues that currently prevent year-round public use. Work scope includes removing and relocating the existing floating dock at Waltonville Dam, installing a new 6-foot by 40-foot floating dock with reinforced concrete panels and rotationally molded polyethylene floats, repositioning bridge structures with 19 feet of pull-in clearance, and connecting the relocated dock to the existing dock at Nason South Access Area. At Nason South, additional work includes re-driving spud poles, replacing decking with treated southern pine lumber, installing composite perimeter bumpers and diamond tread trip plates, and replacing damaged cleats. All deliverables must be completed by June 30, 2026, with bids due April 20, 2026. Contractors must be licensed in Illinois with a minimum of five years of commercial general construction experience, documented with at least five similar projects, and must maintain an Illinois office as the primary place of employment. The contractor must complete a minimum of 51 percent of work with its own forces, and all steel products must be manufactured or produced in the United States. Performance and labor/material payment bonds covering the full contract amount are required if the project exceeds $50,000, and contractors must maintain general commercial liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate plus workers' compensation insurance. Shop drawings and product data sealed by a licensed Illinois Professional Engineer must be submitted for approval, and a one-year warranty on workmanship and materials applies, with eight-year warranties on structural frames and flotation devices.

Contractors must be registered with the Illinois Small Business Set-Aside Program and comply with the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, submitting certified monthly payroll records to document compliance with wage rates published by the Illinois Department of Labor. A $15 fee for the Minority Contractor Opportunity Initiative will be deducted from the first payment, indicating participation in disadvantaged enterprise programming. All contractors and subcontractors must certify compliance with 33 mandatory state certification requirements covering financial obligations, criminal history, environmental violations, drug-free workplace compliance, equal employment opportunity, lobbying restrictions, political contribution limits, cybersecurity standards, and domestic product preference mandates, with annual recertification required for contracts exceeding one year in duration. No pre-bid meeting will be held, though prospective bidders are encouraged to conduct site visits at their discretion, and bids must remain valid for 90 calendar days from submittal. Contract award will be made to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, subject to the State Prompt Payment Act, which governs invoicing and payment schedules. While no specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the procurement documents, the requirement for performance bonds and labor/material payment bonds when the project exceeds $50,000 suggests the total contract value likely falls within a mid-range construction project classification, with independent laboratory testing costs borne by the contractor.