Section 1000.140  Evaluation Procedures

a)         In making its recommendations, the selection committee may consider, among others:

1)         The A/E's qualifications.

2)         The ability of professional personnel submitted by the A/E.

3)         The A/E's past record and experience.

4)         The prior performance of the A/E on CDB professional services agreements.

5)         The willingness of the firm to meet time requirements.

6)         The location of the project relative to the firm's place of business.

7)         The results of preliminary evaluations performed by CDB staff.

8)         The current work load of the A/Es and their prior selections by CDB.

9)         References.

10)         Interviews conducted with the A/Es.

11)         Minority and/or female ownership of the A/E and the consultants.

b)          For each project with an estimated basic services fee of $75,000 or more, the CDB Fair Employment Practices department will set goals for minority and female owned business enterprises.  The goals for each project will be described in the CDB Professional Services Bulletin.  The goals will be based on the availability of minority and female owned business enterprises in the area capable of doing the work.  CDB may waive goals for a particular project if it determines that no minority and female owned business enterprises would be available to perform the type of work involved in the area of the project or if the work involved does not lend itself to the use of consultants.  No A/E that fails to meet the goal shall be considered unless it provides sufficient evidence to CDB within 7 days after submitting its proposal that, after making a good faith effort, it was unable to find sufficient minority or female owned business enterprises willing and able to perform the work.

c)          An A/E attempting to demonstrate that it made a good faith effort to meet minority and female business enterprise goals shall submit:

1)          All information indicating why the specified goal cannot be met;

2)          A list of all minority and female business enterprises that were contacted;

3)          Copies of all solicitation letters to minority and female business enterprises.  Letters shall contain, at a minimum:

A)        Project title and location;

B)        Classification of work items for which consultants are sought;

C)        Date, time and place responses are due;

D)        Returnable acknowledgement of the solicitation;

4)         Evidence, such as a log, of telephone contact, including time and date of call, telephone number, and name of person spoken to;

5)         Any other evidence of good faith effort or other relevant information in support of the request.

d)         In determining if a firm has submitted sufficient evidence that it made a good faith effort to find sufficient minority or female owned business enterprises willing and able to perform the work, CDB shall consider:

1)         The number of minority and female owned business enterprises contacted (including any log of communications provided to CDB);

2)         Whether the work to be allocated to minority and female owned business enterprises was selected in order to increase the likelihood of achieving the specified goal;

3)         Whether the firm negotiated in good faith with minority and female owned business enterprises without imposing conditions that are not imposed on other business enterprises or denying benefits that are offered to other business enterprises;

4)         Whether the firm engaged CDB's Fair Employment Practices Division to provide referrals. 

e)         In no case shall the committee, prior to selecting an A/E for negotiation, seek formal or informal submission of verbal or written estimates of costs or proposals in terms of dollars, hours required, percentage of construction cost, or any other measure of compensation.

(Source:  Amended at 37 Ill. Reg. 7122, effective May 9, 2013)