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A Guide for Selling Goods and Services to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago |
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FOREWORD The public bidding process, utilized by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC), is designed to operate in an efficient, legal and cost-effective manner. It is the responsibility of the Purchasing Agent and other officers of the MWRDGC, with policy guidance by the Board of Commissioners, to achieve that goal. The purpose of this guide is to acquaint the public with the bidding process and to help potential suppliers of materials, equipment and services sell to the MWRDGC.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago encompasses an area of approximately 850 square miles. It is one of the largest governmental bodies in the state of Illinois, with seven treatment facilities reclaiming nearly 1.6 billion gallons of wastewater daily. Governed by a nine-member Board of Commissioners, policies and day-to-day operations of the MWRDGC are implemented by the General Superintendent and nine operating departments, including the Purchasing Department. The Purchasing Agent is the chief officer of the Purchasing Department. The Purchasing Agent is responsible for all procurement of construction contracting, services, products and materials used by the MWRDGC as well as supervisory management of inventory control and storeroom operations. This guide catalogs the procurement opportunities offered by the MWRDGC which often averages more than $130 million/year. A firm will be placed on the bidders’ list for materials, supplies, equipment and/or services when a written request, on company letterhead, is submitted to the Purchasing Agent. The body of the letter must clearly state the commodity/service provided by the firm. The firm’s tax identification number and a completed W-9 form must be submitted. A potential supplier then may receive invitations to bid when the MWRDGC seeks to purchase items within the firm’s area of expertise. The Purchasing Department deletes, on an annual basis, from its bidders’ list any supplier who fails to respond to five (5) or more bid invitations. (A "no bid" is counted as a response.) Placement on the bidders’ list grants prospective bidders access to both under and over $10,000 procurement opportunities. As a public agency, the MWRDGC encourages full participation in the open bidding process. Its Affirmative Action Program is designed to increase participation of businesses owned by minorities and women in all MWRDGC purchasing activities. The Affirmative Action Administrator provides technical assistance to majority contractors and minority and/or women business owners to help them meet the goals of a specific project. Most purchasing occurs at the MWRDGC’s main office, located at 100 East Erie Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611. All suppliers, who are interested in bidding for a MWRDGC contract, can pick up bid forms at the Purchasing Department in the main office between the hours of 8:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday; however, in some instances, specifications and bid forms will be mailed directly to potential suppliers. HOW THE MWRDGC PROCURES GOODS/SERVICES All purchasing transactions performed by the MWRDGC are governed by the "1963 Purchasing Act of the Sanitary District of Greater Chicago," as amended. The Act states that all purchase orders or contracts of $10,000 or less may be let in the open competitive market, without formal advertisement, after solicitation of bids. With few exceptions, all purchase orders or contracts exceeding $10,000 in value are let by free and open competitive bidding after they have been formally advertised. These types of agreements are called "Formal Contracts." The enclosed pamphlet entitled "Major Contracts," documents formal contracts which are scheduled for advertisement. This booklet is updated semi-annually. Some Contracts, by nature, are not adaptable to competitive bidding (i.e. utilities, governmental services). In these categories, the Act provides for the award of such contracts directly by the Purchasing Agent, without competitive bidding. In emergency situations that affect public health or safety, contracts may be let, without formal advertisement, pending approval by the Board of Commissioners. Bids under $10,000 are obtained through a "Quotation Request and Record Form" that is issued by the MWRDGC Buyer and sent to appropriate suppliers. The form identifies a complete description of the commodity or service requested and is accompanied by a pre-addressed, return envelope. In most instances, the quotation request is "faxed" to the potential supplier. Bids are opened at 10:30 a.m., Chicago time, on the date specified on the form. Bids may be submitted either in person, by "FAX" or by mail in the pre-addressed return envelope provided with a mailed quotation request. Bid deposits are not usually required for under $10,000 bids. In the event that a supplier is unable to bid, the firm should indicate a "no bid" response on the request from and return it to the Purchasing Department. This will ensure that the vendor will remain on the active supplier list for future solicitations. FORMAL CONTRACTS (OVER $10,000 BIDS) The MWRDGC utilizes formal advertisement to initiate the bidding process for contracts exceeding $10,000. Prospective bidders are notified by:
All formal bids must be submitted on forms furnished by the MWRDGC. Prospective bidders may request bid forms and specifications in person at the MWRDGC Purchasing Department in the main office or by faxing a request to (312) 751-3042. The invitation to bid will specify whether or not the bidder is allowed to request mailing of the documents. If a bid document is requested for mailing, the MWRDGC does not ensure that the document will arrive to the potential supplier in time for their firm to provide a bid on the due date stated in the invitation to bid. A document fee may be required for plans and specifications. This fee is non-refundable and is stated in the invitation to bid. All formal bids must be delivered and deposited in the Bid Depository Safe located in the main office building lobby, 100 East Erie Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611 on or before the due date and time fixed for said bid opening as specified in the invitation to bid. All formal bids faxed, electronically transmitted or received after the due date and time, will be returned to the bidder. Generally, formal bids must be accompanied by a bid deposit, payable in the form of cash, cashier’s check or bid bond as stated in the contract document. Bid deposits are returned to the bidders, after the bid opening, according to the terms of the contract documents. All formal bids are opened and read publicly by the Purchasing Agent, or designee, at the specified time, date and place set forth in the invitation to bid. Bid results are available at the Purchasing Department, 5th floor of the main office, as soon as possible following the bid opening. In 1995 the District implemented a new bid deposit policy as outlined below: Bid deposits shall NOT in any event be required for the following classes of contracts unless upon determination of the Purchasing Agent that the time of delivery or such other critical circumstance warrants the imposition of a bid deposit requirement:
When bid deposits are required; all sums and/or bid bonds deposited with such proposals will be held by the District until proposals submitted have been canvassed. All sums and/or bid bonds deposited with the proposals will then be returned to the respective bidders, without interest, except for the sums and/or bid bonds deposited with the three (3) lowest proposals. These sums and/or bid bonds will be retained by the District until the Contract has been awarded and executed. On April 20, 1995, the Board of Commissioners of the MWRDGC approved passage of a multi-project labor agreement with the Chicago and Cook County Building and Construction Trades Council to utilize union trades people where applicable. The agreement will apply to construction projects and the MWRDGC reserves the right to determine which contracts are included in the agreement. This agreement will have a three-year duration from the approval date. Construction projects where the multi-project labor agreements apply are stated in the invitation to bid in the contract document. Notice of Acceptance of Contract Bids Post qualification data forms will be mailed to the apparent low bidder by the Purchasing Agent. These forms must be completed and returned to the Purchasing Department within 21 days. Subsequent to the receipt and approval of the bid and requested data, a recommendation for award will be made to the MWRDGC’s Board of Commissioners. Upon approval of the contract by the Board of Commissioners, the Purchasing Agent will notify the successful bidder via issuance of a purchase order or official notification of award. The department for which the service and/or material is provided will then administer the performance of the contract to its completion. As a public agency, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago welcomes all suppliers to participate in the open bidding process for contractual projects. The MWRDGC encourages all potential suppliers to use the guidelines provided in this manual to assist them in future bidding efforts. Any questions regarding bidding/buying procedures should be directed to the Purchasing Department staff. Key staff members are listed on the following page. |
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