Village approves contractor and engineering procurement to replace lead service lines this year
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Summary
Trustees unanimously approved waiving competitive bidding to hire IHC Construction for lead service line replacements and Baxter & Woodman for construction oversight, citing time and regional bid leverage; the project will replace 36 service lines with a not‑to‑exceed construction cost of $508,550 and engineering oversight of $49,000.
The East Dundee Village Board approved two resolutions on July 21 to move forward with the village’s 2025 lead service‑line replacement project: a procurement contract with IHC Construction Companies LLC for construction work and a professional services contract with Baxter & Woodman for construction engineering oversight.
The board voted to waive a separate, competitive bidding process and to accept negotiated unit pricing after staff compared recent competitive bids solicited by neighboring West Dundee. The purchase approvals were presented as follows: construction by IHC not to exceed $508,550; construction engineering services by Baxter & Woodman not to exceed $49,000.
Why it matters: village staff said replacing lead service lines now will coordinate with planned street improvements and reduce future disturbance to streets and residents. Staff also said local contractor IHC was already performing hundreds of similar replacements in nearby West Dundee and could meet the village’s timeline.
Project details: staff presented an opinion of probable construction cost of about $550,000. The board discussed that the village’s per‑service‑line costs are consistent with regional averages — roughly $12,000–$15,000 per replacement — and that the number of services to be replaced this year is 36. Staff estimated bid advertisement and receipt would typically take about three weeks; the decision to leverage West Dundee pricing was presented as a means to accelerate the schedule.
Staff explained the village lacks in‑house capacity for construction oversight and needs outside engineering assistance to coordinate homeowner scheduling, main connections, inspections and reporting.
Vote: trustees approved both resolutions by roll call; all present trustees voted yes.
What happens next: staff will execute the agreements and coordinate field scheduling to replace the 36 identified lead services during 2025; Baxter & Woodman will provide construction oversight and reporting.
For residents: staff noted the project will include homeowner coordination and that the work is timed to precede a scheduled street improvement on Second and Adams.
Context: the village cited West Dundee’s recently awarded contracts and resultant unit pricing as the basis for soliciting the same contractor’s availability and a recommendation to waive a separate bid process for East Dundee’s smaller package.
