West Bloomington Quality of Life Road Map

The City of Bloomington, Illinois ("City") is accepting sealed proposals for RFP #2027-03, West Bloomington Quality of Life Road Map to be submitted via the City's e-Procurement Portal, ProcureNow until Thursday, June 4, 2026, 10:00 am CST.

Background

The City of Bloomington, incorporated in 1856, is a home rule unit of government under the 1970 Illinois Constitution. The City of Bloomington is located in the heart of Central Illinois, approximately 125 miles southwest of Chicago, 155 miles northeast of St. Louis and 64 miles northeast of Springfield, the State Capital. The City of Bloomington is the County Seat of McLean County, the largest county in Illinois (approximately 762,240 acres). The results of the 2020 Census shows the City now has a population of 78,680 citizens. The economic strength of the City of Bloomington metropolitan area is well diversified with no single dominating industry.

Project Details

• Reference ID: RFP #2027-03
• Department: Community Impact & Enhancement
• Department Head: Melissa Hon (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-05-27T17:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-05-29T19:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• 1) Experience with similar planning efforts. (20 pts) —

  This should include examples of prior similar work.

• 2) Strength of community engagement approach (20 pts)
• 3) Qualifications of the project team (20 pts)
• 4) Understanding of neighborhood revitalization demonstrated in prior work and in the proposal (20 pts)
• 5) Pricing and Value for the proposed plan (10 pts)
• 6) Responsiveness (8 pts) —

  Request for Proposal submitted conforms to the requirements necessary to evaluate the respondent’s qualifications.

Submission Requirements

• Authorized Person(s) (required) —

  By submitting a response to this solicitation, the bidder certifies that this Quote is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a quote for the same services, materials, supplies, or equipment, and is in all respect fair and without collusion and fraud. The bidder agrees to abide by all conditions of this quote and certifies that they are authorized to submit this quote.

  Please provide the name, title, email and phone contact of the authorized person(s).

• Bid Bond (required) —

  Each bid shall be accompanied by a certified cashier’s check, or bid bond, in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the total bid price, payable to City of Bloomington, Illinois, as a guarantee that the bidder, if its bid is accepted, will promptly execute the Agreement. The bidder shall guarantee the total bid price for a period of 60 days from the date of the bid opening.

  Please upload a copy of your bid bond/cashier's check. Bidder must also submit an original copy of the bid guarantee to be received no later thanThursday, June 4, 2026 addressed to:

  Legal Department
  City of Bloomington
  Carla Murillo
  115 E. Washington Street, Suite 403
  Bloomington, IL 61701

  Please have the Bidder Name, Contract Title ("West Bloomington Quality of Life Road Map"), and Contract Number ("RFP #2027-03") listed clearly on the outside of the envelope.

• Payment Terms (required) —

  Please indicate whether you are or are not capable of accepting EFT payments. If yes, you may receive information later if this process will apply to you.

• Gift Ban Act (required) —

  By submitting a response to this solicitation, we certify that our organization, its officers, employees and agents, have not made any gifts to officers or employees of the City of Bloomington in violation of Illinois Compiled Statutes, 5 ILCS 430/Article 10, State Officers and Employees Ethics Act (commonly known as the “Gift Ban Act”). The Act is available online at: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=000504300HArt%2E+10&ActID=2529&ChapterID=2&SeqStart=1700000&SeqEnd=2200000.

  We further certify that as a bidder, we have not violated the Bloomington City Code Chapter 2, Administration; Article I, Section 8: Officers and Employees Generally: Section 8a Prohibition on the Solicitation and Acceptance of Gifts; and 8b State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. This section of the Bloomington City Code is available online at https://www.cityblm.org/government/codes-ordinances.

• Vendor Compliance with Public Act 85-1295 (required) —

  The vendor certifies by signing this statement that this bid is made without prior understanding, agreement or accord with any other person submitting a bid for the same product or service and that this bid is in all respects bona fide, fair and not the result of any act of fraud or collusion with another person engaged in the same line of business or commerce. Furthermore, the firm certifies that it is not barred from bidding on this contract as a result of a conviction for the violation of State laws prohibiting bid-rigging or bid-rotating. Any false statement hereunder constitutes a felony and can result in a fine and imprisonment as well as civil damages. The vendor also understands that failure to sign this statement will make the bid non-responsive and unqualified for award.

• Insurance (required) —

  Vendors providing a service or installing equipment on or about City property shall provide to the City Clerk evidence of Comprehensive, Liability, and Workman's Compensation insurance prior to commencement of work on City property. The vendor guarantees to save the City, its agents or employees, harmless from liability of any nature or kind, for use of any copyright, composition, secret process, patented or unpatented invention, articles or appliances furnished or used in the performance of the contract, or which the vendor is not the patentee, assignee, or licensee.

  Furthermore, the vendor hereby agrees to save and hold harmless and indemnify the City from and against all injury, death, damage, loss, claims and liability caused by or arising out of the performance of this agreement by the Vendor, its employees, agents or sub-vendors. This agreement extends to all claims, of any nature, whether made by the Vendor’s employees or third parties.

• Certificate of Insurance (required) —

  Please upload a copy of your Certificate of Insurance.

• Non-Discrimination (required) —

  The City of Bloomington requires all Vendors doing business with the City not to discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, age, color, religion, gender, ancestry, national origin, marital status, mental or physical disability unrelated to ability, familial status or sexual orientation.

  Vendors shall comply with the Illinois Human Rights Act, 775 ILCS 5/101 et seq., as amended and any rules and regulations promulgated in accordance therewith, including, but not limited to the Equal Employment Opportunity Clause, Illinois Administrative Code, Title 44, Part 750 (Appendix A), 775 ILCS 5/1-102 and constituting of a written EEO policy and a workforce profile that demonstrates its EEO practices. Furthermore, the Vendor or Vendors shall comply with the Public Works Employment Discrimination Act, 775 ILCS 10/0.01 et seq., as amended. The Vendor or Vendors must have a written sexual harassment policy, which meets Illinois Compiled State Statutes, 775 ILCS, 15/3.

• Equal Opportunity Guidelines (required) —

  The City requires all Vendors doing business with the City not to discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, age, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, and non-job-related disabilities. This program was approved by the City Council on May 27, 1974. In accordance with this program, the City shall require that the Vendor or Vendors be familiar and comply in every respect with the provisions of this program. Information regarding the program may be obtained by contacting the Human Relations Department 309-434-2218.

• Local Preference Purchasing Policy Certification (required) —

  The City of Bloomington has adopted a local preference purchasing policy. Under the terms of the policy local Consultants may be granted a pre‐determined preference in competitive bidding situations. Bids from qualified local Consultants may receive the following adjustment to the submitted bid:

  1. 5% up to a maximum of $2,500 on bids of $10,000 up to $50,000;
  2. 4% up to a maximum of $10,000 on bids of up to $250,000;
  3. 3% up to a maximum of $30,000 on bids of up to $1,000,000; and
  4. $50,000 on bids of over $1,000,000.

  For purposes of comparison and consideration in awarding contracts the preferential discount will be applied to the low bid of all qualified local Consultants when determining the lowest responsible bid. The City Council reserves the right to waive or amend the local preference purchasing policy in connection with any bid, when it deems it in the best interest of the citizens of Bloomington.

  A Local Consultant is defined as any business that meets all of the following criteria:

  1. The business has established and maintained a physical presence within the County of McLean, via the ownership or lease of a building or a portion of a building for a period of not less than 12 consecutive months; and
  2. The business employs a minimum of two full time employees at the McLean County location and those employees spend the majority of their work day and work week at the McLean County location; and
  3. The business is legally authorized to conduct business within the State of Illinois and the County of McLean.

  The undersigned hereby certifies to the City of Bloomington that it is a Local Consultant as defined above and qualifies for the Local Consultant Preference pursuant to the City of Bloomington Local Preference Purchasing Policy.

• Proposal Form (required) —

  Bid RFP #2027-03
  West Bloomington Quality of Life Road Map

  By submitting a response to this solicitation, the proposer agrees to contract with the City of Bloomington to provide all necessary services, labor, supervision, machinery, tools, apparatus, documents and any other means to do all the work and furnish all the materials specified in the proposal in the manner and time therein as set forth by the proposer and that the proposer will take in full payment the amount set forth hereon. The cost of all labor, material and equipment necessary for the completion of the proposed work, even though not shown or specified, shall be included in the total price for the various items shown herein.

  We further agree to complete all of the above work in a complete, neat, and workmanlike manner. Payment of prevailing wage rates as predetermined by the Bloomington City Council pursuant to the Prevailing Wage Ordinance 2018-34 is acknowledged including Public Act 100-1177 effective June 1, 2019. The proposer certifies by signature below that it has not been barred from contracting with a unit of State or Local government in the State of Illinois as a result of a violation of Section 33E-3 or 33E-4 of the Criminal Code of 1961, as amended.

• Public Records and Request for Confidential Treatment (required) —

  Please confirm acknowledgement of the City's process.

  Proposals become the property of the City upon submittal. All proposals will be open to the public under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 ILCS 140) and other applicable laws and rules, unless Proposer identifies in the proposal that certain parts of it contain proprietary information and are exempt from release under FOIA. A request for confidential treatment will not supersede the City's legal obligations under FOIA. The City will not honor requests to keep entire proposals confidential.

  If Proposer requests confidential treatment of portions of its submission as proprietary information, Proposer must submit a separate, additional copy of the proposal with the requested proprietary information clearly marked. Proposer must submit the original and the marked confidential copy in order for the City to claim such an exemption under FOIA. As well, the proposer must state the listing of the provisions identified by section number for which it submits it is proprietary information and therefore seeks confidential treatment. Proposer will hold harmless and indemnify the City for all costs or damages associated with the City defending the Proposers request of its proprietary information. Proposer agrees the City may copy the proposal to facilitate evaluation, or to respond to requests for public records. Proposer warrants that such copying will not violate the rights of Proposer or any third party.

   

• Apprenticeship Training (required) —

  If bid is in excess of $100,000.00, contractor(s) will provide, with their bid submission, proof of participation in apprenticeship and training programs approved and registered with the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training.

• Apprenticeship Training Documentation (required) —

  Please provide your Apprenticeship Training Documentation.

• Prevailing Wage (required) —

  By submitting a response to this solicitation the vendor has read, understands and agrees to the requirements of Prevailing Wage as provided for in this solicitation.

• Minority Owned, Women Owned, Veteran Owned, Small Business Certifi (required) —

  Please select the categories that pertain to your organization. Select all that apply.

• Subcontractor - Category Information (required) —

  By submitting a response to this solicitation, the authorized person(s) agrees to provide category information for the subcontractors utilized if they are the selected vendor on this project.

• Proposal Submission (required) —

  Please upload your Proposal Submission.

• Equal Opportunity Plan
• Equal Employment Opportunity (required) —

  In the event of the bidder's non-compliance with the provisions of this Equal Opportunity Clause, the Illinois Human Rights Act or the Rules and Regulations of the Illinois Department of Human Rights ("Department"), or the City of Bloomington's Contract Compliance Program, the bidder may be declared ineligible for future contracts or subcontracts with the State of Illinois or any of its political subdivisions or municipal corporations, including the City of Bloomington, and the contract may be canceled or voided in whole or in part, and such other sanctions or penalties may be imposed or remedies invoked as provided by statute, ordinance or regulation. During the performance of this contract, the bidder agrees as follows:

  1. That it will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin or ancestry, age, physical or mental disability unrelated to ability, or an unfavorable discharge from military service; and further that it will examine all job classifications to determine if minority persons or women are underutilized and will take appropriate affirmative action to rectify any such under-utilization.
  2. That, if it hires additional employees in order to perform this bidder any portion thereof, it will determine the availability (in accordance with the Department's Rules and Regulations or those of the Human Relations Commission) of minorities and women in the area(s) from which it may reasonably recruit and it will hire for each job classification for which employees are hired in such a way that minorities and women are not underutilized.
  3. That, in all solicitations or advertisements for employees placed by it or on its behalf, it will state that all applicants will be afforded equal opportunity without discrimination because of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin or ancestry, age, physical or mental disability unrelated to ability, familial status, or an unfavorable discharge from military service.
  4. That it will send to each labor organization or representative of workers with which it has or is bound by a collective bargaining or other agreement or understanding, a notice advising such labor organization or representative of the bidder's obligations under the Illinois Human Rights Act and the Department's Rules and Regulations. If any such labor organization or representative fails or refuses to cooperate with the bidder in its efforts to comply with such Act and Rules and Regulations, the bidder will promptly so notify the Department and Human Relations Commission and the contracting agency and will recruit employees from other sources when necessary to fulfill its obligations thereunder.
  5. That it will submit reports as required by the Department's Rules and Regulations and Human Relations Commission, furnish all relevant information as may from time to time be requested by the Department or the contracting agency, and in all respects comply with the Illinois Human Rights Act and the Department's Rules and Regulations and those of the City of Bloomington's Contract Compliance Program.
  6. That it will permit access to all relevant books, records, accounts and work sites by personnel of the contracting agency and the Department for purposes of investigation to ascertain compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act and the Department's Rules and Regulations and those of the City of Bloomington's Contract Compliance Program.
  7. That it will include verbatim or by reference the provisions of this clause in every subcontract it awards under which any portion of the contract obligations are undertaken or assumed, so that such provisions will be binding upon such subbidder. In the same manner as with other provisions of this contract, the bidder will be liable for compliance with applicable provisions of this clause by such subbidders; and further it will promptly notify the contracting agency, the Department and the Human Relations Commission in the event any subbidder fails or refuses to comply therewith. In addition, the bidder will not utilize any subbidder declared by the Illinois Human Rights Commission or Human Relation Commission to be ineligible for contracts or subcontracts with the State of Illinois or any of its political subdivisions or municipal corporations including the City of Bloomington.

  Failure to properly complete questions pertaining to the Equal Opportunity Plan as required as part of the submission with bid or proposal will result in your submission not being considered responsive and result in the denial of eligibility to bid or do business with the City of Bloomington for this project/services/goods. A copy of the Equal Opportunity plan for your firm should be included with this response.

• Business Classification (required) —

  Please select one of the following:

• Principal Office (required) —

  Provide the following information for your Company's principal office:

  Name
  Address
  City, State, Zip
  Major Activity of your company (product or service)

• EEO Policies and Practices - 1 (required) —

  Is it the Company’s policy to recruit, hire, train, upgrade, and discipline persons without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, mental and/or physical disability, and sexual orientation?

• EEO Policies and Practices - 2 (required) —

  Has someone been assigned to develop procedures, which will assure that the EO policy is implemented and enforced by managerial, administrative, and supervisory personnel? If so, please indicate the name and title of the charged with this responsibility. If not, please type "N/A".

• EEO Policies and Practices - 3 (required) —

  Has the Company developed a written Equal Opportunity Plan? Note: A copy of the Equal Opportunity Plan must be submitted with this form in order to be considered eligible to do business with the /city of Bloomington. If you would need technical assistance in developing your plan, please contact the Community Relations Office at: (309) 434-2215.

• EEO Policies and Practices - 4 (required) —

  Has the Company developed a written policy statement prohibiting Sexual Harassment? Please attach a copy of the policy statement.

• EEO Policies and Practices - 5 (required) —

  Have all recruitment sources been notified that the Company will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, age, sex, national origin, religion, mental and/or physical disability, or sexual orientation?

• EEO Policies and Practices - 6 (required) —

  If advertising is used, does it specify that all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, age, sex, national origin, religion, mental and/or physical disability, or sexual orientation?

• EEO Policies and Practices - 7 (required) —

  Has the bidder notified all of its sub-bidders of their obligations to comply with the Equal Opportunity requirements either in writing, by inclusion in subbidders or purchase orders?

• EEO Policies and Practices - 8 (required) —

  Is the Company a state certified minority/female owned business? If yes, please attach a copy of the state certification. If not, please provide a document stating that your company is not a state certified minority/female owned business.

• EEO Policies and Practices - 9 (required) —

  Does the Company have collective bargaining agreements with labor organizations?

• EEO Policies and Practices - 10 (required) —

  Has the labor organization been notified of the Company’s responsibility to comply with the Equal Employment Opportunity requirements in all contracts by the City of Bloomington?

• Employment Information (required) —

  Identify the geographical area(s) from which the company may reasonably recruit employees (use city, county, SMSA, or distance in miles from your company location.

• Workforce Analysis Form (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Certification (required) —

  The Company certifies that it has answered all of the foregoing questions truthfully to the best of its knowledge and belief. The Company also agrees that it will comply and abide by the City of Bloomington’s Contract Compliance Ordinance and the City of Bloomington Human Relations Ordinance.

• Type of Project (required) —

  Please select the type of solicitation document needed for this project.

• Pre-Bid Meeting (required) —

  What type of pre-bid meeting will this project require?

• Project Cost (required) —

  Will this project be over $10,000?

• Insurance Requirements (required) —

  What is the estimated budget for this project?

• Prevailing Wage (required) —

  Does this project have a Prevailing Wage requirement?

• Apprenticeship Training (required) —

  Will this project be over $100,000?