LaSalle County committee approves allowing electronic bids for highway projects
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Summary
The committee voted to permit the LaSalle County Highway Department to accept electronic bids for routine projects, with final wording to be drafted and reviewed before the full board meeting.
LaSalle County’s Committee on Appointments, Legislation and Rules voted Oct. 6 to permit the Highway Department to accept electronic bids for its regular bidding process, with written verbiage to be drafted and presented before the full county board meeting.
The committee approved a motion to amend the county board rules to allow the Highway Department the option of submitting and receiving bids electronically for highway projects while preserving compliance with the county’s competitive-bidding code. Committee members said the change reflects how contractors in the road-construction field increasingly submit bids.
A committee member said the proposed language will be drafted in time for the county board packet and that electronic bids would remain optional — “may” rather than “shall” — so departments can choose traditional submission methods depending on the project.
The committee additionally discussed requirements the draft will contain: securing bids received electronically, ensuring confidentiality until public opening, and making received bids public at the committee meeting where they are opened. Committee members noted the county engineer would select the electronic bidding platform.
Committee members agreed the final text will be circulated prior to the full board meeting; one member asked to see the language at the committee level before forwarding it. The motion was seconded and approved. The committee recorded no formal roll-call vote on the motion in the transcript; the chair declared the motion carried.
