Community Corner
Letter to the Editor: Time to Stop the Confusion About No-Bid Contracts
Naperville Patch accepts letters to the editor and opinion pieces. Letters to the editor may be sent to Local Editor Mary Ann Lopez at maryl@patch.com.
Responding to public criticism for their use of no bid contracts, Forest Preserve Board President Pierotti, Attorney Mork, and Commissioners have repeatedly stated that the Illinois Professional Services Act prohibits them from seeking bids when hiring engineers, architects, and attorneys. According to the current Board, all taxpayer dollars spent on these services must — by state law — be in the form of no-bid contracts.
The spirit of Act is to allow for fast action by governmental bodies when services are needed. But the Professional Services Act was never intended to absolve elected officials from their obligation to comparison shop when spending our tax dollars.
It is manipulative to use the law as a justification for no-bid expenditures. When President Pierotti, Mr. Mork and the Board do so, they are only telling part of the story.
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The Professional Services Act does allow no-bid hiring of professional services but does not specifically prohibit the bidding process. Local governmental bodies have the option of adopting an ordinance that would allow them to seek proposals when services are needed. A proposal ordinance, such as the one used by Downers Grove, would end the practice of no-bid contracting by outlining criteria to be considered when services are sought. A proposal ordinance would also stop public charges of improper use of no-bid contracts for political gain.
Accountability to the public in the form of a solution to the no-bid issue is not just a campaign season concern. At the heart of the no-bid complaint is the issue of accountability. This problem is easily resolved with a proposal ordinance to allow for competitive bidding on all service contracts. If there really is nothing to hide, why not simply adopt a proposal ordinance? Seriously, we’d all be glad to move on to other subjects.
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Shannon M Burns, MBA, Ed.D
Candidate: DuPage County Forest Preserve District
West Chicago
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