The Grundy County Board recieved, but rejected, new bids for the seal coating of roads after it was pointed out that the initial accepted application was incomplete.

The issue was first brought up by investigators from Teamsters Local 179 during the March meeting, before the county accepting a $765,667.83 bid from Steffens 3-D Construction.

During the April meeting, the Grundy County Board received a low bid of $793.281.04 bid from AC Pavement on the second attempt. Steffens 3-D did bid again, but that was at $811,165.84. The board rejected both bids.

Mike Phillips and Tom Garcia, two investigators with Teamsters Local 179, shared their concerns with the Grundy County Board in March.

“They submitted a bid for road work, for seal coat, and I was at that bid letting,” Phillips said.

He explained that he was at the bid letting because they typically monitor bid lettings pertaining to prevailing wage work.

“During a bid letting, as the bid was open and read, it was pointed out that they did not affirm that they participate in an apprenticeship and training program,” Phillips said.

Phillips pointed out that Grundy County has a responsible bidders ordinance with a requirement that every project $25,000 or more requires that the bidders participate in a training and apprenticeship program.

During the March meeting, County Engineer Eric Gibson said he spoke with County Administrator Mary Kucharz and State’s Attorney Russell Baker and they came to the conclusion that this didn’t disqualify Steffens 3-D.

“I reached out to Livingston County, because they do have an executed contract with Livingston County, to ask if they submitted it the same way there that it was for us,” Gibson said.

He then reached back out to Steffens 3-D owner Darren Steffens, who did fill the application out after first trying to say he had everything filled out properly.

Gibson said he then called Springfield told him they would only handle it if there was a protest or complaint filed.

“On state-led jobs with MFT funding, they have to be part of the program,” he said. “They have to participate in the event that we ask them to provide certification.”

Gibson said he came to the conclusion in March that Steffens 3-D did have an active apprenticeship program, and just hadn’t filled out the application.

Regardless, Phillips again said that the information that was omitted is required by state law and county ordinance.

“I can’t speak to what Grundy County has done in the past, but I know that every bid letting that I’ve gone to where that bit of information, or any other bit of information, is omitted, they stop reading that bid, or they don’t even begin reading the bid if they know that it doesn’t meet the basic requirements,” he said.