Lake County committee reviews draft environmentally preferred purchasing policy; members press on 5% preference and local impacts

Lake County’s Planning, Building, Zoning and Environment Committee discussed an initial draft of an environmentally preferred purchasing policy during its July 30 meeting, hearing a presentation from Robin Grooms, the county’s sustainability programs manager, and Yvette Alberon, purchasing manager, and raising questions about a proposed 5% price-preference and effects on local vendors and large capital projects.

The proposal, presented by Robin Grooms, would apply a sustainability “lens” to county procurement and set the foundation for a countywide green purchasing program the presenters said they expect to begin in 2026. The draft calls for training for buyers, purchasing guides, an eco-label certification form for vendors, and tracking of green spend through a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Under the proposal, a bidder that meets the county’s green specifications or holds a listed third-party eco label could be awarded a public bid if that bid is within 5% of the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.

Committee members pressed staff on how the 5% preference would interact with existing legal and program requirements, how the policy would treat procurements that use state or federal funds, and whether the preference would unduly favor a single green bidder. Grooms and Alberon said the policy includes a severability clause that would defer to statutory requirements — for example, Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)…