Department Of Purchasing

Raffi Sarrafian, Director Of Purchasing

Doing Business with the Chicago Park District

MBE/WBE Information

The Bid/Bond Room and Specifications

The Purchasing Process

The Department of Purchasing web page is designed to explain the role of the Department of Purchasing -- the buying of goods and services for all Chicago Park District departments and regions -- and to supply information to people (manufacturers, dealers, sales agents and representatives of any other technically and financially responsible businesses) who are interested in doing business with the Park District.

The Park District buys goods and services in the following ways:

The informal solicitation: Price quotations for goods and services valued at less than $10,000 are solicited by mail or fax, without public advertisement. Emergency contracts that are awarded to meet bona fide departmental or Park District emergency needs -- and do not exceed $ 50,000 -- are solicited by telephone, without public advertisement.
The formal contract process: A contract with a value greater than $10,000 must be let by free and open competitive sealed bidding (an Invitation for Bid, or IFB), or by competitive negotiation after public advertisement (a Request for a Proposal, or RFP). This means that any financially responsible company can submit a bid or a proposal for one of these contracts.

Informal Solicitations Of Quotes (Under $10k)
If you are not already listed in our Vendor Database, you can print out a copy of our Vendor Information Form on this website. Complete and return the application by mail, and we will enter you in our Vendor Database. You will then be in the pool of businesses available to our Buyers.

Contracting With The Chicago Park District (Over $10k)
Bids and proposals are solicited by Advanced Buyers and/or Project Managers, who are responsible for procuring various goods (commodities) and services, including construction, engineering, professional, and design services. Bids and proposals are publicly advertised.

The Department Contacts listing contains the names and telephone numbers of Advanced Buyers and/or Project Managers. The Contract Opportunities/Schedule also lists each project's Advance Buyer/Project Manager and phone number. If you have any questions about bidding requirements or the bid process, you may call the Advanced Buyer/Project Manager directly.

Invitations for Bids and Requests for Proposals are advertised in the Chicago Sun-Times and in the Contract Opportunities/Schedule on this website. The Contract Opportunities/Schedule can also be picked up in the 4th floor reception area of the Chicago Park District headquarters. If you see a project that relates to the commodities or services you can provide, come to the 3rd floor Bid /Bond Room and pick up the specification. Please bring your business card. The specification will describe in great detail what goods and/or services are required, and will explain the procedures that must be followed in order to respond to an Invitation for Bid (IFB) or a Request for Proposal (RFP).

Terms And Conditions

The Chicago Park District buys from any technically and financially responsible business entity, and practices equal opportunity/affirmative action in all areas of the marketplace.

Submissions
All bidders/proposers must provide all requested information in the bid/proposal documents, including complete price quotations. All information provided must be typed or written in ink. All bid/proposal documents must be signed and notarized in the appropriate places. Note: All indicated documents must have original signatures. Photocopied signatures will result in the disqualification of the entire bid/proposal package.

Deposits & Bonds
Certain specifications may require the bidder/proposer to submit a bid deposit along with the bid/proposal submission. This is typically 5 percent to 10 percent of the estimated value of the contract. After the contract award, construction and landscaping contracts also may require a performance bond.

Bid (IFB) Openings
All bids are opened and read publicly at 3:00 p.m. (or as otherwise published in the specification) on the date indicated in the specification document. Bids received after the hour and date indicated for the opening will not be considered. The public is invited to attend all bid openings. They usually are held in the Board Room located on the 8th floor of the Administration Building at 541 North Fairbanks. The opening location will be given in the bid's specification document.

Proposal (RFP) Openings
Requests for Proposals (RFP) and Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) are not opened publicly. However, they too must be submitted before the hour and date specified in order to be considered.

Target Market Program
Specifications that are identified as Target Market Programs are restricted to businesses that are certified by the City of Chicago as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) or a Woman Business Enterprise (WBE).

MBE/WBE Requirements
For each project, the Chicago Park District requires direct and indirect participation of minority and women-owned businesses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be certified/pre-qualified/pre-registered before I submit a bid/proposal?
Not usually. If you can provide the goods and/or services requested in the specification, you may submit a bid/proposal. Remember, however, that a specification identified as a Target Market Program is restricted to businesses that are certified with the City of Chicago as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) or a Woman Business Enterprise (WBE).

What disqualifies a bid/proposal?
The best way to keep from having your bid or proposal disqualified is to read the specification document very carefully and follow all instructions exactly. Late bids/proposals are automatically disqualified. Some other causes of potential disqualification are incomplete forms, missing signatures, and the submission of photocopies when originals are called for.

Can I have bid opening schedules and specifications faxed or mailed to me?
Sorry, no. Due to the volume of requests (and the length of specifications), we cannot fax or mail either one. However, you can download the Contract Opportunities/Schedule from our website. Specifications must be picked up from the Bid/Bond Room on the 3rd floor at the Chicago Park District Administration Building at 541 North Fairbanks. Please bring your business card.

You may arrange, at your expense, to have specification documents picked up by a messenger service. However, the messenger service must be able to provide us with your business card, or must be able to provide us with your business name, address, phone number, fax number, and the name of a contact person at your company. The messenger service also must be able to provide us with the number or title of the specification you are requesting.

Can I bid on Chicago Park District projects if I live out of state?
Yes. For out-of-state businesses, we will FedEx or UPS specifications -- but only at your expense. You must provide us with your Federal Express or United Parcel Service account number. We cannot send specifications via regular mail. Keep in mind that your bid/proposal is due in the Bid/Bond Room by 3:00 p.m. (or as otherwise stated in the specification document) on the due date. The Park District is not responsible for - and will not accept --bids/proposals received in other locations in the Administration Building by 3:00 p.m. on the due date.

What if you change the specification after I've picked it up?
In return for the specification you picked up, we received your business card. Any change we make in a specification will be mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to you (in the form of an addendum) at the mailing address, fax number, or e-mail address given on your business card.

How does the Park District process payments to vendors?
The invoice procedure is included in each specification document. All invoices should be sent to the Comptroller's Office, Accounts Payable section - not to the Purchasing Department.

What records are available for public inspection, and at what point in the contract award process may they be inspected? Is there a fee?
The Park District cannot release any contract information before a contract has been awarded. A Park District contract is available for inspection by the general public only after it has been awarded. However, after a public bid (IFB) opening, you may call the Department of Purchasing at 312-742-5380 and request the names of the three apparent low bidders, but we will not provide any dollar-amount bids. In addition, please note that this information is non-binding, since the final outcome depends on detailed inspection of the bids received.

If you would like to inspect a Park District contract, you must make your request in writing. Your letter should be sent to Munir Umrani, Freedom of Information specialist in the Department of Law. If possible, please provide the specification number of the contract you are interested in. There is no fee.

MBE/WBE Information

Program Definition
An MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) or a WBE (Woman Business Enterprise) is a local business that is owned and controlled (by a minimum of 51%) by a member of a minority group or by a woman. It must be certified as such by the City of Chicago, the Chicago Minority Business Development Council (CMBDC), the Women's Business Development Center (WBDC), or the Small Business Administration's 8(a) Program.

Since it is the policy of the Chicago Park District that minority groups and women participate to the maximum extent feasible in Park District projects, we require that not less than 25% of the annual aggregate dollar amount of all contracts goes to qualified minority-owned businesses (MBEs), and that not less than 5% of the annual aggregate dollar amount of all contracts goes to qualified woman-owned businesses (WBEs). The Department of Purchasing implements and coordinates this MBE/WBE compliance program.

Special conditions and instructions for the utilization of MBE and WBE firms are included in each bid/proposal specification. If you have any questions concerning MBE/WBE information and/or compliance, please contact one of the compliance officers listed in our Department Contacts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I can't find an MBE and/or WBE firm?
Our compliance officers can provide you with a list of various assisting agencies that can, in turn, provide you with the names and phone numbers of relevant certified MBE/WBE businesses.

Can I get an exemption (a waiver) from the MBE/WBE requirements?
Not usually. You can request a waiver of the MBE/WBE requirements. However, submission of a request for a waiver does not mean that a waiver will be granted. You must substantiate your request with detailed information, such as a list of MBE/WBE firms you have contacted, or other special circumstances surrounding your bid/proposal. Note: All waiver requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

What if I forgot to complete the MBE/WBE portion of the bid/proposal (Schedule A and/or Schedule B)?
Your bid/proposal may be deemed non-responsive, and, therefore, disqualified from consideration.

Assist Agencies

Bid/Proposal Information

The Bid/Bond Room And Specifications
The Bid/Bond Room of the Purchasing Department of the Park District is located on the third floor of the Administration Building at 541 North Fairbanks, Chicago, IL, 60611. Its primary function is to facilitate the formal bidding/proposal process (contracts valued at or above $10,000), from public advertisement through the bid/proposal opening.

Public Advertisements
Bid (IFB) and proposal (RFP) advertisements are published Monday through Friday in the legal advertisement section of the Chicago Sun-Times. Target Market Program bids and proposals are restricted to firms that are City-certified as Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) and Woman Business Enterprises (WBE).

Specifications/Plans for Bids and Proposals
Bid/proposal specifications (and plans) that are currently available for pick-up in the Bid/Bond Room are listed under Contract Opportunities/Schedules on this website. This list is also available in the 4th floor reception area in the Park District Administration Building.

You can pick up a copy of a detailed bid/proposal specification by bringing your business card to the Bid/Bond Room on the 3rd floor of the Administration Building between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The plan-holders list -- composed of the business cards of all firms that have picked up that bid/proposal -- is kept, in part, to allow the Purchasing Department to inform you via mail, fax, or e-mail if any addenda (changes) to the specification have been issued. You may obtain a copy of this plan-holders list in the Bid/Bond Room. Sorry, but due to the volume of requests, we cannot fax plan-holders lists to you.

You also may arrange, at your expense, to have specification documents picked up by a messenger service. However, the messenger service must be able to provide us with your business card, or must be able to provide us with your business name, address, phone number, fax number, and the name of a contact person at your company. The messenger service also must be able to provide us with the title or number of the specification you are requesting.

Out-of-state Businesses
If you provide us with your Federal Express or United Parcel Service account number, we will FedEx or UPS a specification to you, at your expense. Keep in mind that your bid/proposal is due in the 3rd floor Bid/Bond Room by 3:00 p.m. on the specified due date. The Park District is not responsible for -- and will not accept -- bids/proposals received in other locations in the Administration Building by 3:00 p.m. on the due date

Bid And Proposal Openings

Before the scheduled bid/proposal opening date, or before 3:00 p.m. (or the time otherwise published in the specification document) on the opening date, you must return your bid/proposal in a sealed envelope (one is provided with each bid/proposal) to the third floor Bid/Bond Room. Your bid/proposal will be time-stamped on receipt. Note: Bids/proposals submitted to other departments or delivered to other areas of the Administration Building will not be accepted for consideration unless they are received in the third floor Bid/Bond Room before the specified time on the due date. Your company is responsible for ensuring timely delivery to the Bid/Bond Room.

On the due date, at exactly 3:00 p.m. Chicago time, an authorized representative of the Director of Purchases will make a bid/proposal opening statement. After this statement, no more bids/proposals will be accepted.

Invitations for Bids (IFBs) are opened at 3:00 p.m. in a designated location in the Administration Building, usually in the Board Room on the 8th floor. There, all sealed bids are opened, checked for addenda acknowledgements (if any), signatures, and bid deposits (if required), and, if accepted, their pricing information will be read out to those present. Unit pricing, if given, will be read out only for the apparent low bidder and only if requested. The public is invited to attend all bid openings.

Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are not opened publicly.