[ Search ] [ Legislation ] [ Bill Summary ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
90_HB3660 New Act 30 ILCS 500/45-65 30 ILCS 500/55-7 new 30 ILCS 500/45-45 rep. 30 ILCS 575/5 from Ch. 127, par. 132.605 Creates the Small Business Procurement Bill of Rights Act and amends the Illinois Procurement Code and the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Females, and Persons with Disabilities Act. Removes from the Illinois Procurement Code the provisions of the small business set-aside preference in State procurements of the executive branch and creates a similar preference within the Small Business Procurement Bill of Rights Act. Also requires State approval of a contractor's change of subcontractors. With respect to construction contracts, adds to the preference program certain provisions (i) prohibiting the waiver of lien rights in anticipation of the award of a contract; (ii) requiring prompt payment of subcontractors; (iii) requiring the State, unless otherwise provided in the contract, to make progress payments; and (iv) prohibiting issuance of certificates of occupancy before payment of contractors. Requires the Business Council for Minorities, Females, and Persons with Disabilities to devise a procedure for reciprocal certification of qualified businesses under that Act with other entities engaged in similar certification. LRB9010935JMmb LRB9010935JMmb 1 AN ACT concerning State procurements from small 2 businesses, amending named Acts. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 6 Small Business Procurement Bill of Rights Act. 7 Section 5. Purpose; policy. It is the purpose of this 8 Act and is declared to be the policy of this State that, 9 because the existence of a strong and healthy free enterprise 10 system is directly related to the well-being and competitive 11 strength of small business concerns and to the opportunity 12 for small businesses to have free entry into business, to 13 grow, and to expand, the State shall ensure that a fair 14 proportion of the State's total purchases and contracts for 15 construction, property, and services be placed with small 16 business concerns. 17 Section 10. Definitions. The words and phrases used in 18 this Act have the definitions set forth in the following 19 Sections. 20 Section 10.5. Chief procurement officer. "Chief 21 procurement officer" is defined as in the Illinois 22 Procurement Code. 23 Section 10.10. Construction. "Construction" means 24 building, altering, repairing, improving, or demolishing any 25 public structure or building or making improvements of any 26 kind to public real property. Construction does not include 27 the routine operation, routine repair, or routine maintenance 28 of existing structures, buildings, or real property. -2- LRB9010935JMmb 1 Section 10.15. Contract. "Contract" means all types of 2 State agreements, regardless of what they may be called, for 3 the procurement, use, or disposal of supplies, services, 4 professional or artistic services, or construction or for 5 leases of real property or capital improvements, and 6 including master contracts, contracts for financing through 7 use of installment or lease-purchase arrangements, and 8 renegotiated contracts. 9 Section 10.20. Small business. "Small business" means a 10 business that is independently owned and operated and that is 11 not dominant in its field of operation. The chief 12 procurement officer shall establish a detailed definition by 13 rule, using in addition to the foregoing criteria other 14 criteria, including the number of employees and the dollar 15 volume of business. When computing the size status of a 16 bidder, annual sales and receipts of the bidder and all of 17 its affiliates shall be included. The maximum number of 18 employees and the maximum dollar volume that a small business 19 may have under the rules promulgated by the chief procurement 20 officer may vary from industry to industry to the extent 21 necessary to reflect differing characteristics of those 22 industries, subject to the following limitations: 23 (1) No wholesale business is a small business if 24 its annual sales for its most recently completed fiscal 25 year exceed $7,500,000. 26 (2) No retail business or business selling services 27 is a small business if its annual sales and receipts 28 exceed $1,500,000. 29 (3) No manufacturing business is a small business 30 if it employs more than 250 persons. 31 (4) No construction business is a small business if 32 its annual sales and receipts exceed $14,000,000. 33 These employee and dollar limitations shall represent the -3- LRB9010935JMmb 1 average employee total or dollar volume of business over the 2 past 3 fiscal years. 3 Section 10.25. Small business set-aside. "Small business 4 set-aside" means a construction contract, service contract, 5 or purchase request for which bids are to be invited and 6 accepted only from small businesses. 7 Section 10.30. Fair proportion. "Fair proportion" for 8 construction contracts means no less than 25% nor more than 9 40% of the annual total contracts for construction. 10 Section 15. Designation of small business set-asides. 11 The chief procurement officer may designate as a small 12 business set-aside a fair proportion of construction 13 contracts, service contracts, and purchase requests for 14 specified commodities or equipment that must be awarded in 15 accordance with the provisions of the Illinois Procurement 16 Code. The designation shall be made prior to the 17 advertisement for bids in the Illinois Procurement Bulletin, 18 and when the advertisement is published it shall indicate the 19 purchases or contracts that have been designated small 20 business set-asides. 21 For small business set-asides, invitations to bid shall 22 be confined to small businesses, and bids from other 23 businesses shall be rejected. The purchase, contract, or 24 expenditure of funds shall be awarded to the lowest 25 responsible bidder among the small businesses (considering 26 conformity with specifications and terms) in accordance with 27 the rules for purchasing published by the chief procurement 28 officer. 29 Section 20. Rejection of bid; withdrawal of designation. 30 If the chief procurement officer determines that acceptance -4- LRB9010935JMmb 1 of the best bid will result in the payment of an unreasonable 2 price, all the bids shall be rejected and the designation of 3 small business set-aside shall be withdrawn. 4 If the designation of small business set-aside is 5 withdrawn, the chief procurement officer shall notify the 6 bidders of the reason why the bids were rejected. 7 Invitations to bid containing the same or rewritten 8 specifications and terms shall then be re-issued under the 9 Illinois Procurement Code without the designation of small 10 business set-aside. 11 Section 25. Small business specialist. The chief 12 procurement officer shall engage an experienced contract 13 negotiator to serve as the small business specialist, whose 14 duties shall include: 15 (1) Compiling and maintaining a comprehensive 16 bidders list of small businesses. In this duty, he or 17 she shall cooperate with the Federal Small Business 18 Administration in locating potential sources for various 19 products and services. 20 (2) Assisting small businesses in complying with 21 the procedures for bidding on State contracts. 22 (3) Examining requests from State agencies for the 23 purchase of property or services to help determine which 24 invitations to bid are to be designated small business 25 set-asides. 26 (4) Making recommendations to the chief procurement 27 officer for the simplification of specifications and 28 terms in order to increase the opportunities for small 29 business participation. 30 (5) Assisting in investigations to determine the 31 responsibility of bidders on small business set-asides. 32 Section 30. Small business annual report. The chief -5- LRB9010935JMmb 1 procurement officer shall annually before December 1 report 2 in writing to the General Assembly concerning the awarding of 3 contracts to small businesses. The report shall include the 4 total value of awards made in the preceding fiscal year under 5 the designation of small business set-aside. 6 The requirement for reporting to the General Assembly 7 shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report as required 8 by Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization Act. 9 Section 35. Subcontractors. 10 (a) A contract awarded under this Act shall state 11 whether the services of a subcontractor will be used. The 12 contract shall include the names and addresses of all 13 subcontractors and the expected amount of money each will 14 receive under the contract. 15 (b) If at any time during the term of a contract, a 16 contractor adds or changes any subcontractors, he or she 17 shall promptly notify, in writing, the chief procurement 18 officer of the names and addresses and the expected amount of 19 money each new or replaced subcontractor will receive. All 20 changes in subcontractors shall be approved in writing by the 21 chief procurement officer. 22 Section 40. Waiver of lien or claim. An agreement to 23 waive any right to enforce or claim any lien when the 24 agreement is in anticipation of and in consideration for the 25 awarding of a contract or subcontract under this Act, either 26 express or implied, to perform work or services or to supply 27 fixtures or materials for an improvement upon real property 28 is against public policy and unenforceable. This provision 29 shall not affect the validity of the lien waiver in the hands 30 of any third party who has detrimentally relied upon the lien 31 waiver given by a party furnishing labor, material, fixtures, 32 or other services after work has been fully or partially -6- LRB9010935JMmb 1 performed; however, a waiver of lien shall not be construed 2 as waiving lien rights beyond the dollar amount stated in the 3 waiver. This Section does not prohibit subordination or 4 release of a lien. 5 Section 45. Prompt payment to subcontractors. 6 Construction contracts awarded under this Act must require 7 the prime contractor and all subcontractors to promptly pay 8 any subcontractor or material supplier under the contract 9 within 10 business days of the prime contractor's or 10 subcontractor's receipt of payment from the State for 11 undisputed services provided by the subcontractor or material 12 provided by the supplier. The contract must require the 13 prime contractor or subcontractor to pay interest at the same 14 rate as provided in the Mechanics Lien Act on any undisputed 15 amount not paid on time to the subcontractor. A 16 subcontractor or supplier who prevails in a civil action to 17 collect interest penalties from a prime contractor shall be 18 awarded its costs and disbursements, including attorney fees 19 incurred in enforcing this provision. 20 Section 50. Progress payments and retainage. 21 (a) Unless a construction contract awarded under this 22 Act provides otherwise, the State must make progress payments 23 monthly as the work progresses. Payments shall be based upon 24 reasonable estimates of work completed as approved by the 25 State. A progress payment shall not be considered acceptance 26 or approval of any work or waiver of any defects in that 27 work. 28 (b) Unless a construction contract awarded under this 29 Act provides otherwise, the State may reserve a retainage 30 from any progress payments on the construction contract in an 31 amount not to exceed 5% of the payment. The State may reduce 32 the amount of retainage and may eliminate retainage on any -7- LRB9010935JMmb 1 monthly contract payment if, in the State's opinion, the work 2 is progressing satisfactorily. 3 Section 55. Payment before certificate of occupancy 4 issued. All contractors under a construction contract 5 awarded under this Act shall be paid before a certificate of 6 occupancy is issued. 7 Section 60. Illinois Procurement Code. Except to the 8 extent provided in this Act to the contrary, contracts 9 awarded under this Act are subject to the Illinois 10 Procurement Code. 11 Section 65. Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. This 12 Act is subject to the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. 13 Section 900. The Illinois Procurement Code is amended by 14 changing Section 45-65 and adding Section 55-7 as follows: 15 (30 ILCS 500/45-65) 16 Sec. 45-65. Additional preferences. This Code is 17 subject to applicable provisions of: 18 (1) the Public Purchases in Other States Act; 19 (2) the Illinois Mined Coal Act; 20 (3) the Steel Products Procurement Act; 21 (4) the Veterans Preference Act;and22 (5) the Business Enterprise for Minorities, 23 Females, and Persons with Disabilities Act; and.24 (6) the Small Business Procurement Bill of Rights 25 Act. 26 (Source: P.A. 90-572, eff. date - see Sec. 99-5.) 27 (30 ILCS 500/55-7 new) 28 Sec. 55-7. Small Business Procurement Bill of Rights -8- LRB9010935JMmb 1 Act. To the extent that the provisions of this Code conflict 2 with the provisions of the Small Business Procurement Bill of 3 Rights Act, this Code is subject to the Small Business 4 Procurement Bill of Rights Act and the provisions of that Act 5 control. 6 (30 ILCS 500/45-45 rep.) 7 Section 905. The Illinois Procurement Code is amended by 8 repealing Section 45-45. 9 Section 910. The Business Enterprise for Minorities, 10 Females, and Persons with Disabilities Act is amended by 11 changing Section 5 as follows: 12 (30 ILCS 575/5) (from Ch. 127, par. 132.605) 13 (Section scheduled to be repealed on September 6, 1999) 14 Sec. 5. Business Enterprise Council. 15 (1) To help implement, monitor and enforce the goals of 16 this Act, there is created the Business Enterprise Council 17 for Minorities, Females, and Persons with Disabilities, 18 hereinafter referred to as the Council, composed of the 19 Secretary of Human Services and the Directors of the 20 Department of Human Rights, the Department of Commerce and 21 Community Affairs, the Department of Central Management 22 Services, the Department of Transportation and the Capital 23 Development Board, or their duly appointed representatives. 24 Ten individuals representing businesses that are minority or 25 female owned or owned by persons with disabilities, 2 26 individuals representing the business community, and a 27 representative of public universities shall be appointed by 28 the Governor. These members shall serve 2 year terms and 29 shall be eligible for reappointment. Any vacancy occurring 30 on the Council shall also be filled by the Governor. Any 31 member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the -9- LRB9010935JMmb 1 expiration of the term for which his predecessor was 2 appointed shall be appointed for the remainder of such term. 3 Members of the Council shall serve without compensation but 4 shall be reimbursed for any ordinary and necessary expenses 5 incurred in the performance of their duties. 6 The Director of the Department of Central Management 7 Services shall serve as the Council chairperson and shall 8 select, subject to approval of the council, a Secretary 9 responsible for the operation of the program who shall serve 10 as the Division Manager of the Business Enterprise for 11 Minorities, Females, and Persons with Disabilities Division 12 of the Department of Central Management Services. 13 The Director of each State agency and the chief executive 14 officer of each State university shall appoint a liaison to 15 the Council. The liaison shall be responsible for submitting 16 to the Council any reports and documents necessary under this 17 Act. 18 (2) The Council's authority and responsibility shall be 19 to: 20 (a) Devise a certification procedure to assure that 21 businesses taking advantage of this Act are legitimately 22 classified as businesses owned by minorities, females, or 23 persons with disabilities, and devise a reciprocity of 24 certification procedure with other entities that certify 25 businesses that meet standards no less stringent than 26 those of this Act. 27 (b) Maintain a list of all businesses legitimately 28 classified as businesses owned by minorities, females, or 29 persons with disabilities to provide to State agencies 30 and State universities. 31 (c) Review rules and regulations for the 32 implementation of the program for businesses owned by 33 minorities, females, and persons with disabilities. 34 (d) Review compliance plans submitted by each State -10- LRB9010935JMmb 1 agency and State university pursuant to this Act. 2 (e) Make annual reports as provided in Section 8f 3 to the Governor and the General Assembly on the status of 4 the program. 5 (f) Serve as a central clearinghouse for 6 information on State contracts, including the maintenance 7 of a list of all pending State contracts upon which 8 businesses owned by minorities, females, and persons with 9 disabilities may bid. At the Council's discretion, 10 maintenance of the list may include 24-hour electronic 11 access to the list along with the bid and application 12 information. 13 (g) Establish a toll free telephone number to 14 facilitate information requests concerning the 15 certification process and pending contracts. 16 (3) No premium bond rate of a surety company for a bond 17 required of a business owned by a minority, female, or person 18 with a disability bidding for a State contract shall be 19 higher than the lowest rate charged by that surety company 20 for a similar bond in the same classification of work that 21 would be written for a business not owned by a minority, 22 female, or person with a disability. 23 (4) Any Council member who has direct financial or 24 personal interest in any measure pending before the Council 25 shall disclose this fact to the Council and refrain from 26 participating in the determination upon such measure. 27 (5) The Secretary shall have the following duties and 28 responsibilities: 29 (a) To be responsible for the day-to-day operation 30 of the Council. 31 (b) To serve as a coordinator for all of the 32 State's programs for businesses owned by minorities, 33 females, and persons with disabilities and as the 34 information and referral center for all State initiatives -11- LRB9010935JMmb 1 for businesses owned by minorities, females, and persons 2 with disabilities. 3 (c) To establish an enforcement procedure whereby 4 the Council may recommend to the appropriate State legal 5 officer that the State exercise its legal remedies which 6 shall include (1) termination of the contract involved, 7 (2) prohibition of participation by the respondent in 8 public contracts for a period not to exceed one year, 9 (3) imposition of a penalty not to exceed any profit 10 acquired as a result of violation, or (4) any combination 11 thereof. Such procedures shall require prior approval by 12 Council. 13 (d) To devise appropriate policies, regulations and 14 procedures for including participation by businesses 15 owned by minorities, females, and persons with 16 disabilities as prime contractors including, but not 17 limited to, (i) encouraging the inclusions of qualified 18 businesses owned by minorities, females, and persons with 19 disabilities on solicitation lists, (ii) investigating 20 the potential of blanket bonding programs for small 21 construction jobs, (iii) investigating and making 22 recommendations concerning the use of the sheltered 23 market process. 24 (e) To devise procedures for the waiver of the 25 participation goals in appropriate circumstances. 26 (f) To accept donations and, with the approval of 27 the Council or the Director of Central Management 28 Services, grants related to the purposes of this Act; to 29 conduct seminars related to the purpose of this Act and 30 to charge reasonable registration fees; and to sell 31 directories, vendor lists and other such information to 32 interested parties, except that forms necessary to become 33 eligible for the program shall be provided free of charge 34 to a business or individual applying for the program. -12- LRB9010935JMmb 1 (Source: P.A. 88-377; 88-597, eff. 8-28-94; 89-507, eff. 2 7-1-97.)