FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2022
Contact: Jill Gigstad, III FFC
(815) 254-3332 EXT 6
[email protected]
PLAINFIELD, IL – The Indiana, Illinois, Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting (III FFC) is publicly thanking a local government for their support in raising standards in the construction industry. The labor-management nonprofit released a statement today thanking the Plainfield Village Board for deciding to halt a bid moving forward with a non-responsible contractor on the James Street Pump Station project last week. The motion to reject all bids was approved by a vote of 4 to 1.
III FFC Executive Director, Marc Poulos, who attended the council meeting and addressed the Village Board, made a statement:
“The Village Board’s decision to rescope the James Street Pump Station project and reject all bids was the right move. We at the III FFC fight on behalf of small businesses, making sure local, responsible contractors are awarded public construction projects that put our taxpayer dollars to good use. The lowest bidder well under-bid the project and has no experience with this type of work. They also have a history of non-responsible practices, leading to concerns about shortcomings once the contract would be awarded.
After providing the Village Board with objective evidence obtained from publicly available information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and from our own monitoring and investigations over the past eight months, the Village Board decided to withdraw its consideration of the lowest bidder.
We want to thank the members of the Village Board who voted in favor of reconsidering the bid, took the time to listen to our concerns, and made their own decision on who they deem a responsible and non-responsible contractor. It is because of leaders like all of you that Plainfield residents know their taxpayer dollars are used reliably on public projects.”
III FFC was established to increase market share for responsible contractors, work opportunities for skilled craftsmen and craftswomen, and value for taxpayers. III FFC raises standards in the construction industry by advocating for responsible public policies that reward work, ensure business growth, and create broad-based prosperity.