City of North Chicago - Lead Service Line Replacements - Phase 1
ORIGINAL ADVERTISED DATE: November 7, 2025
DUE DATE: Friday, January 9, 2026 at 1:00 PM
MANDATORY PRE-BID CONFERENCE: Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 1:00 PM
PROJECT MANAGER: Robert Benson, P.E.
INVITATION TO BID
NOTICE is hereby given that sealed bids will be received by the City of North Chicago for the project entitled “Lead Service Line Replacements – Phase 1” until 1:00 pm of Friday, January 9, 2026, at the Building Department, 1850 Lewis Avenue, North Chicago, IL 60064. The Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud immediately afterwards in the Council Chambers.
Bids shall be received in a sealed envelope addressed to:
City Engineer
City of North Chicago
1850 Lewis Avenue
North Chicago, IL 60064
The sealed envelope shall be marked in the lower left-hand corner EXACTLY as follows:
BID: City Engineer
City of North Chicago
Lead Service Line Replacements – Phase 1
Any Contract or Contracts awarded under this invitation for bids are expected to be funded in part by a loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA). Neither the State of Illinois nor any of its departments, agencies, or employees is or will be a party to this invitation for bids or any resulting contract. The procurement will be subject to regulations contained in the Procedures for Issuing Loans from the Public Water Supply Loan Program to Provide Funding for Lead Service Line Replacement (35IAC Part 663), the Davis-Bacon Act (40 USC 276a through 276a-5) as defined by the United States Department of Labor, the Employment of Illinois Workers on Public Works Act (30 ILCS 570), the Illinois Works Jobs Program Act (30 ILCS 559/20-1), and the federal “Build America, Buy America Act” requirements contained in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Pub. L. No. 117-58.
This procurement is also subject to the loan recipient’s policy regarding the increased use of disadvantaged business enterprises. The loan recipient’s policy requires all bidders to undertake specified affirmative efforts at least sixteen (16) days prior to bid opening. The policy is contained in the specifications. Bidders are also required to comply with the President’s Executive Order No. 11246, as amended. The requirements for bidders and contractors under this order are explained in 41 CFR 60-4.
WORK DESCRIPTION:
Provide all labor, equipment, appurtenances, and materials necessary for the identification, replacement, and restoration of lead and galvanized (requiring replacement) water services within the City of North Chicago. Water services will be replaced with approved materials using horizontal directional drilling construction methods as well as open cut methods, as approved by the Engineer. This work may include HMA and concrete pavement removal and replacement; trench excavation; bedding and backfill; installation of new water services from water main to curb stop and box; installation of new water services from curb stop and box to building; site restoration; traffic control; testing and all other work necessary for complete and functional water service replacement installations meeting City standards as shown, specified, or required.
The City of North Chicago has been awarded up to $2,465,000 in Principal Forgiveness for this project by the Illinois EPA through the Public Water Supply Loan Program (PWSLP), to reimburse the city for planning, design, permitting, bidding, loan administration, and construction costs. An additional $735,000 of loan funding is also reserved for this project.
The City intends to continue the exploratory excavations and replacement of lead water services only until the available Principal Forgiveness is completely exhausted. This means that the quantity of work that will be ultimately performed and paid for under this contract may be reduced if funding is exhausted or may be incrementally increased to include subsequent Sequences until funding is exhausted. In the case that the scope of the project is incrementally increased, the successful Bidder shall complete that additional work at the Unit Prices included in their Bid Proposal.
CONTRACT DOCUMENTS:
The Contract Documents will be available for inspection and purchase at:
Trotter and Associates, Inc.
38 W Grand Ave, Ste 300
Fox Lake, IL 60020
Contact Heidi Patla at h.patla@trotter-inc.com or 224-225-1300 to purchase the contract documents.
Payment for Contract Documents is nonrefundable and shall be payable to Trotter and Associates, Inc. in the form of cash, certified check or money order. No partial sets of specifications or drawings will be issued. The non–refundable cost for plans and specifications is $150.00 for a hard copy and $50.00 for an electronic copy. Addenda will be issued only to plan holders.
BIDS:
Each bid shall be accompanied by a bid bond, bank draft, cashier's check or certified check payable to the order of the City of North Chicago in an amount not less than ten (10) percent of the amount of the bid, as a guaranty that the bidder will execute the contract, if it is awarded, in conformity with the bid form.
The successful bidder will be required to furnish Performance and Completion and Payment Bonds on forms provided in the Specifications and Contract Documents, each in an amount equal to 100 percent of the contract sum.
A Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be held on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at 1:00 pm at the City Hall, 1850 Lewis Avenue, North Chicago, IL. Bids will not be received, opened, or read from Bidders/Contractors that do not attend the Pre-Bid Conference.
The contractor shall pay prevailing wages in accordance with the Davis-Bacon Act (40 USC 276a through 276a-5) as defined by the U.S. Department of Labor, Local Ordinance and the Illinois Department of Labor Prevailing Wages for Lake County, whichever is greater.
Rates can be obtained online at www.state.il.us/Agency/idol/.
QUESTIONS:
Questions regarding the project received by 5:00 pm on Monday, January 5, 2026, will be answered by addendum. Questions submitted after this deadline may not be answered prior to the closing of the bidding period. All questions shall be submitted in writing to:
Robert Benson, PE
Project Manager
The City of North Chicago reserves the right to reject any or all bids. The City expressly reserves the right to waive any informal or technical irregularities in a bid.
Final award of bid shall be contingent on the City of North Chicago receiving financing from the Public Water Supply Loan Program as administered by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Per the IEPA’s Procedures for Issuing Loans from the Public Water Supply Revolving Fund to Provide Funding for Lead Service Line Replacement Part 663.620, Section e, unless all bids are rejected, award shall be made to the low, responsive, responsible bidder after the bid evaluation has been submitted to the IEPA and written notice of IEPA approval has been received by the City of North Chicago.
