Estimating by state: IL
Illinois construction estimating for public and private bids
Measured takeoffs and estimates for Illinois bids, priced at your rates and checked against Illinois wage rules and IDOT prequalification.
Fixed price in 2 business hours. Pay only after you accept.
- Fixed price before any work starts
- Plan review and quotes are free
- You pay only after you accept the price and delivery date
- Single-trade estimates in 48 hours
- Your rates, your final number: your team signs and submits
Quick answer
Illinois construction estimating from Bidmere gives general contractors and subcontractors measured takeoffs and cost estimates priced at their own rates, prepared remotely from plans and specifications. Single-trade estimates are priced from $195 and are ready in 48 hours. You get a fixed quote within 2 business hours and pay after you accept.
Where Illinois public construction work is advertised
Illinois splits public construction across a few owners. The Capital Development Board (CDB) builds for state agencies and publishes a bid information bulletin of current construction projects it will accept bids on, plus a construction bulletin and project map.
CDB’s special bidding instructions, effective January 1, 2023, say bids and bid modifications are accepted only through CDB’s e-Builder Bidding Program or an alternative file transfer system. Faxed modifications, in-person submittals and mailed bids are not allowed.
- Statewide solicitations: BidBuy, the State of Illinois eProcurement system.
- Highways and bridges: IDOT lettings for state and locally advertised projects.
- Cities, counties, park and school districts: their own portals and bid documents.
Does Illinois require prevailing wage on public work?
Yes. The Illinois Prevailing Wage Act requires contractors and subcontractors to pay laborers, workers and mechanics on public works projects no less than the general prevailing rate of wages, which includes hourly cash wages plus fringe benefits, for similar work in the locality.
The Illinois Department of Labor administers the Act. Contractors must post prevailing wage rates at job sites. A contractor or subcontractor found to have violated the Act twice in five years may be barred from public works projects for four years.
Where to check: the Illinois Department of Labor’s prevailing wage rates for the county, and the wage requirements in the bid documents.
Bonds and bid security on Illinois public work
Bond and bid security terms on Illinois public work are set by statute and by each owner’s bid documents. CDB, IDOT and local owners each publish their own requirements, and they are not interchangeable.
- Read the instructions to bidders for the bid security amount and accepted forms.
- Read the contract for performance and payment bond requirements.
- Ask your surety for the premium on the contract value you expect.
Carry bond premiums as separate estimate lines. Do not copy a CDB requirement onto an IDOT bid, or the reverse.
IDOT prequalification and DBE certification
Any firm bidding construction projects for IDOT, local entities or the Department of Natural Resources as a prime contractor must first be prequalified. IDOT prequalifies in specialized work categories and publishes a list of prequalified firms, updated every Monday, showing each firm’s numerical work categories. IDOT says roughly 750 firms are currently prequalified.
DBE goals use the Illinois Unified Certification Program (IL UCP), established by IDOT, the City of Chicago, CTA, Metra and Pace. A firm applies once, and the certification is honored by all participating agencies.
Common project types Illinois contractors estimate
Illinois public work includes CDB state facility projects, IDOT and local road lettings, transit work in the Chicago area, and school, park and municipal construction. Typical estimating requests include:
- MEP trade packages priced at county prevailing wage rates.
- Concrete, masonry and structural packages for public buildings.
- Sitework and paving on IDOT and local unit price bid forms.
- Interior finish trades for school and university renovations.
Bidding work in this state? Send the plans and specs. Fixed quote within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Get a fixed quoteHow Illinois rules change the numbers in your estimate
Each rule lands in a specific estimate line.
- Price every labor classification at the Illinois Department of Labor prevailing rate for the project county, including fringe benefits.
- Check the instructions to bidders for bid security and the contract for bonds; carry each premium separately.
- For CDB bids, plan for electronic submission through e-Builder only.
- Confirm IDOT prequalification in the right work category before estimating a prime bid.
- Check DBE goals and IL UCP certification for subcontractors you carry.
- Log every addendum and acknowledge it as the bid form requires.
Illinois construction estimating done remotely, at your rates
Bidmere estimates Illinois projects remotely from the plans, specifications and addenda you send. You set the rates, wage schedule and markups; Bidmere measures, prices at your rates and returns an Excel estimate with live formulas, color-coded marked-up PDF plans, and a written list of assumptions, exclusions and open questions.
On Illinois prevailing wage work, labor hours, classification and the county rate stay on separate lines so your reviewer can check them against the posted rates.
- Single-trade estimates from $195 in 48 hours; multi-trade from $1,150.
- Bid packages from $1,950 in 5 business days.
Fixed price within 2 business hours, free plan review, pay only after you accept. Bidmere does not visit sites, sign or submit bids, or guarantee awards.
Before you send plans
Common questions about handing off the work
Will I lose control of my number?
No. Every rate and markup comes from your team, and you approve the estimate.
Can a remote estimator handle Illinois rules?
The estimate follows the wage and bond terms in your bid documents and flags any gap.
What if an addendum lands after the estimate is done?
Send it. Affected quantities are updated and the changes listed.
Monthly estimating plans
Bidding every week? Ask about a monthly estimating plan
Steady bidders can use a monthly plan instead of quoting each job: $1,395 per month for up to 6 bids, $2,595 per month for up to 12 bids, or $4,795 per month for up to 25 bids. Every plan uses your rates, and your team still signs and submits each bid.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to be in Illinois to estimate Illinois projects?
No. Bidmere works remotely from the plans, specifications and addenda you send, so location does not limit the work. Bidmere does not visit sites. Share photos or pre-bid notes, and the estimate lists every assumption made where the documents are silent.
Does Illinois require prevailing wage on public work?
Yes. The Illinois Prevailing Wage Act requires contractors and subcontractors on public works to pay no less than the general prevailing rate, including fringe benefits, for similar work in the locality. The Illinois Department of Labor administers the Act, and repeat violations can bar a contractor from public works for four years.
What should I send for a Illinois public bid estimate?
Send the plans, specifications, every issued addendum, the bid form and any wage determination. Tell us the trades, the bid due date and the labor rates, markups and supplier pricing to use. You can start with project basics; document sharing is arranged after scope review.
How much does a Illinois construction estimate cost, and how fast is it?
Single-trade estimates are priced from $195 and are ready in 48 hours. Multi-trade estimates are priced from $1,150, and full bid packages are priced from $1,950 in 5 business days. You get a fixed price and delivery date within 2 business hours and pay only after you accept them.
Do I need IDOT prequalification to bid Illinois road work?
Yes, as a prime. Any firm bidding construction projects for IDOT, local entities or the Department of Natural Resources as a prime contractor must first be prequalified in specialized work categories. IDOT updates its list of prequalified firms every Monday. Subcontractors follow the prime’s contract requirements.
Who is responsible for the final Illinois bid?
Your company. Bidmere measures quantities and prices them at the rates you approve, then hands the estimate to your team for review. Your authorized signer sets the final number, signs the bid form and submits it. Bidmere does not sign or submit bids and does not guarantee an award.
Get a fixed quote
Share the project basics. You get a fixed price and delivery date within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Sources
- https://cdb.illinois.gov/procurement/bidinformation.html
- https://cdb.illinois.gov/
- https://www.bidbuy.illinois.gov/bso/
- https://labor.illinois.gov/laws-rules/conmed/prevailing-wage-act.html
- https://idot.illinois.gov/procurement/prequalification-and-registration/contractors/prequalification.html
- https://idot.illinois.gov/doing-business/industry-marketplace/dbe/dbe-certification0.html