Contractors

State of Illinois Requirements

• Must be a legal entity in the State of Illinois, meaning if your business organization is an LLC, LLP, or a Corporation in Illinois, you can verify and determine if you are in good standing here:Corporate/LLC Search / Certificate of Good Standing
• Must be authorized to Do Business in the State of Illinois, meaning you are an LLC, LLP or Corporation originally organized as such in another state, go here to acquire proper forms to register to conduct business in Illinois: Publications and Forms
• Must be registered with the Illinois State Board of Elections if more than $50,000 in annual business with any state agency: https://berep.elections.il.gov/login.aspx
• Must hold a current Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) Bidder Eligibility Number if employs more than 15 employees: https://www2.illinois.gov/DHR/publiccontracts/pages/default.aspx
• Must be registered with and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Program: https://www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/
• Must have a written substance abuse prevention program that meets Public Works Projects Act (820 ILCS 265) facilitated by third party resources such as:
  Drug And Alcohol Testing - IL
  Substance Abuse Policy

Goals

 

The University of Illinois System encourages diversity among its construction vendors to include businesses owned by minorities and women. For construction contracting, the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with Disabilities Act (BEP Act) 30 ILCS 575/4(b) is applicable only to minority and women business enterprises (MBEs and WBEs).

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees established goals for the utilization of minority and women business enterprise construction vendors pursuant to the BEP Act.

The goal is 30% for the University of Illinois at Chicago and 20% for the Peoria, Rockford, Springfield, and Urbana universities.

Where MBE/WBE/PBE goals will apply

• MBE/WBE goals will apply to all construction projects that are bid. Good Faith Efforts to meet MBE/FBE goals are required on projects that meet or exceed an estimated construction cost of $250,000, including contingency.
• MBE/WBE goals will apply to the design-bid-build delivery method for each division of work bid.
• MBE/WBE goals will apply to the Construction Manager delivery method for the entire project in one or more divisions of work bid.
• MBE/WBE goals will apply to Energy Performance Contracting delivery method.

Policies and Tools

The University of Illinois System works with Contractors to help complete a variety of construction projects. The system has processes, policies, and tools that must be used during the construction process.

Construction Diversity Policy -Selected Sections of Construction Diversity Policy and Standard Contract Documents:

• To be considered a certified vendor, minority, and women-owned business enterprises need to be certified as such with the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) Business Enterprise Program (BEP) at the time of bid.
• Certified vendors need to supply their IL CMS BEP certification to prime bidders with each bid to affirm their current CMS BEP certification.
• Certified vendors should retain copies of their bids supplied to all prime bidders when bids are solicited from prime bidders.
• Certified vendors need to be registered as a vendor with the University of Illinois in the Vendor Services Application (VSA) before the bid due date.
• Certified vendors need to understand the bid solicitation and all its requirements before responding and supplying a bid quote.

Tools on this page are specific to the Contractors - each with a description and link.

• Construction Bids: The University of Illinois advertises all projects through the Illinois Procurement Bulletin Public Institutions of Higher Education. Contractors can register on this website and receive emails when new projects in their area of interest are posted.
• Notice of Potential Construction Opportunities: The University of Illinois maintains a list of potential construction projects at UIUC.
• Contracts and Forms: The University of Illinois has standard Contractor Agreements that are used for all construction contracts. Web-based forms are also provided to aid in completing the necessary documentation.
• Design and Facilities Standards: Each campus has developed standards for design and facilities that the PSC must adhere to during the design process. UIUC UIC UIS

Vendor Services Application

The Vendor Services Application (VSA) collects basic information about a vendor (or other external organization) and its related employees in a central location. VSA vendor records and user accounts will share information with capital applications (e.g., PRZM, CAPS), ensuring that a vendor's legal name, location(s), address(es), and related information are consistent and accurate. See University Office of Capital Programs and Real Estate Services Vendors webpage for more information.

Last Updated: April 16, 2020