North Aurora rejects company’s bid over worker training issue

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Updated: May 9, 2012 10:15AM

NORTH AURORA — The Village Board has rejected the low bid for a sewer inspection and relining project because the bidder did not provide proof that it trains workers through a union-certified apprenticeship program, as required by the village’s responsible bidding ordinance.

Pipevision Products Inc. of LaSalle instead included an assurance that it would not subcontract the job, but would use its own non-union employees who were trained in-house, said Village Administrator Wes Kornowske. Village staff could not determine if Pipevision’s training was better or worse than that provided by the Laborers District Council — LMCC in Burr Ridge, he added.

LMCC spokesman Scott McFedries filed a protest of Pipevision’s bid with the village. LMCC provides training in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Labor.

The board voted against awarding Pipeline the contract.

“To me, the issue is that we asked for certification and got it from the other four bidders, but not from these guys,” Trustee Chris Faber said. “I hate to not take the lowest bid, but it’s quite clear these people didn’t deliver what they needed to.”

The board then awarded the contract to the next-lowest bidder, Insituform Technologies USA Inc. of Chesterfield, Mo., for $123,813 — about $1,100 more than Pipevision’s $122,724 bid.