Responsible bidder plan a good idea

At the July 13 DuPage County Forest Preserve Board meeting, I was thrilled that the board was encouraged to adopt responsible bidder language by candidates for the forest preserve board, Dennis Clark and Shannon Burns.

During the public comment section of the meeting they encouraged the board to adopt responsible bidder provisions, stating that it would help the board ensure quality while potentially reducing costly change orders that result in long project completion delays.

For anyone not familiar with the topic, responsible bidder provisions establish guidelines for reviewing project bids based on quality rather than just the lowest cost. Although low cost is always a factor, public boards who have adopted responsible bidder language also look at a bidder's track record of bringing jobs in on time. Also, under responsible bidding, contractors would be required to provide health care and comply with established minority participation.

A carefully crafted responsible bidder ordinance would allow for both union and nonunion bids, thus leveling the playing field for all contractors while obtaining the best value for the residents of DuPage. Responsible bidding has the potential to reduce costs by spelling out quality guidelines in advance, resulting in fewer costly change orders, something that has been a consistent problem for the forest preserve board. A low bid followed by a string of change orders does open the door for unscrupulous business dealings.

While many municipalities in Illinois have passed responsible bidder ordinances, there are no public bodies in DuPage County with such guidelines. Clark and Burns' strong suggestion to the forest preserve board that they adopt responsible bidding provisions demonstrates the kind of forward thinking vision - and concern for taxpayer money - that we need in our elected officials in DuPage County. I applaud them for their efforts.

Robert C. Whitney

Winfield