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III FFC Celebrates Passage of Colona Responsible Bidder Ordinance

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

May 31.2023

Indiana, Illinois, Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting Celebrates Passage of Colona Responsible Bidder Ordinance

Colona passes local ordinance to promote workforce development, protect local tax dollars

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COLONA, IL – Last week, Colona City Council passed a local responsible bidder ordinance (RBO) in a 9-0 vote with Colona Mayor Donald Ropp casting the final vote.

A responsible bidder ordinance (RBO) is a resolution adopted into a public body’s procurement codes that specifies certain criteria that a contractor must meet in order to be eligible to perform work on behalf of that community. Ultimately, an RBO ensures that public projects are awarded to responsive and responsible contractors who employ skilled tradespeople, deliver the highest quality of work, and provide more taxpayer value than contractors who cut corners in the areas of training, labor, and safety.

“This is a big win for the entire Colona community,” said Indiana, Illinois, Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting (III FFC) Regional Manager Andy Waeyaert. “Passing a Responsible Bidder Ordinance protects taxpayer dollars while spurring local economic growth and supporting good-paying jobs. Plus, the apprenticeship requirements in this RBO help create a highly trained workforce ready to partner with local businesses to meet the construction needs now and in the future. On behalf of the III FFC, we celebrate the passage of another RBO and thank Colona City Council and Mayor Ropp for their support in raising standards in the local construction industry.”

The Colona ordinance includes “5-for-5” apprenticeship language to encourage workforce development by requiring proof that contractors and subcontractors bidding on Colona public works projects are participating in US Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship training programs that have graduated at least five (5) apprentices in each of the past five (5) years for each of the construction crafts to be performed on the project.

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. You can find out more about responsible bidder ordinances and the III FFC on our website at www.iiiffc.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 31, 2023

CONTACT: Jill Gigstad, III FFC, (815) 254-3332 EXT 6, jgigstad@iiiffc.org

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Following Hard Rock collapse, council and Mayor begin work on ‘responsible bidders ordinance’ (LA)

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

By Michael Isaac Stein
24th February 2020

A New Orleans City Council committee on February 12, heard presentations from labor union leaders, officials with the Louisiana Workforce Commission and other labor advocates about a proposal for the city to pass a “responsible bidders ordinance” in order to hold current and prospective city contractors accountable for the treatment and safety of their employees.

While the details have yet to be worked out, proponents of such an ordinance called for a requirement that companies seeking city work disclose past safety violations and labor complaints as part of their bids.

Public calls for such an ordinance have grown in the months following the October collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel on Canal Street. The incident killed three workers and injured over a dozen more.

Labor advocates told the council’s Economic Development & Special Development Projects Committee on Wednesday that such a disaster was inevitable given the current climate of construction contracting in the city. They argued that public bid laws that apply to construction contracts, which require the city to choose the firm offering the lowest price, drive companies to cut costs wherever possible to the detriment of their employees.

“This has been going on for a really long time,” said Chip Fleetwood, director of business development for the local chapter of the Painters and Allied Trades International Union. “We’re to a point where it’s almost like the wild, wild west. It was only a matter of time before something like that happened. In the building trade’s opinion, we knew there was going to be a breaking point. And we’re at the breaking point now. If something isn’t done, if we don’t really hold contractor’s accountable, it’s going to happen again.” …

Erika Zucker, policy advocate at the Workplace Justice Project at the Loyola College of Law, argued that transparency, monitoring and enforcement should all be part of the equation. She said that major changes should be made to how the city considers and chooses contractors. Instead of just relying on the lowest quote, she said that contractors should have to disclose much more info, such as past labor law and safety violations.
She also said the city should create a fair contracting task force to implement and enforce the new rules.

The Hard Rock Hotel was a private development, not a public one, so the city wasn’t party to the construction contracts. Even so, Zucker argued that a responsible bidders ordinance would still have an effect on private developments.

“The city becomes overall the most responsible contracting entity and sets an example for the region,” she said.

Zucker also argued that the ordinance should be applied to any project that are either “wholly public projects or projects that use public money that looks more like a public-private partnership, which can look like anything from a tax incentive to joint operation.”

(Read More)

Porter County Commissioners setting conflict of interest rules for bidding (IL)

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

By JEFF SCHULTZ
Posted 7/19/2017

The Porter County Board of Commissioners voted in favor of implementing a conflict of interest policy concerning how it hires consultants on Tuesday, and signaled their interest in compiling a responsible bidder policy.

The Commissioners voted 3-0 on first reading for an ordinance to establish the policy that many other states like Indiana have already adopted. Under it, County employees and elected officials would be prohibited from soliciting or accepting gratuities of anything valued at $50 or more from consultants or other parties in contractor agreements, said County Attorney Scott McClure.

McClure said forms of this policy have been put together at the federal level and have trickled down to municipalities. Conflict of interest policies are being required in order to receive matching funds from the federal government that the County would receive for projects through state agencies like the Indiana Department of Transportation, he said.
Commissioner President Jeff Good, R-Center, said that he agrees with the ordinance and not just on the merit that it is being required by the federal government.

“I think it’s just good business,” he said.

“I agree,” said Commissioner Laura Shurr Blaney, D-South.

Next, Marcella Kunstek and Josh Weger of the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting (IIIFFC) came to give the Commissioners a presentation on reasons they recommend the County adopt a Responsive Bidder Ordinance, or RBO.

The organization has been in existence for 20 years but not until recently have RDOs become a growing trend, Weger said. IIIFFC has helped 14 counties in Indiana, 25 in Illinois and seven in Iowa. The mission is to increase market share for contractors, increase hours for workers and drive value for taxpayers.

“We are here to help you in any way improve the value of public works construction to your taxpayers and government,” Weger told the Commissioners.

(Read More)