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In this era of taxcaps and downsizing, is it not beneficial for all of us to share information regarding contractors?

The title of this article may seem a little tongue-and-cheek, but it identifies a subject that many professionals in the field of parks and recreation have been concerned about for some time. Contractors are not performing up to acceptable standards and this is costing park districts, recreation agencies and taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost overruns, late construction projects and lots of public frustration.

How bad can this be? Consider that every time a session on this subject is held at the IAPD/IPRA Annual Conference, it is usually standing room only. After attending these sessions and talking to many of my colleagues over the years, I pose the following questions:

• In the last five to eight years, has your agency experience problems dealing with a contractor who has been the low bidder on a project?

• Do you feel that your agency was placed in a no-win situation when a contractor failed to meet its obligation for completion of the project on time?

• Is the only alternative you have in these situations to seek ligation against a contractor, forcing your agency into cost overruns or finishing the job in-house?

I sent a letter to 20 agencies in the neighborhood of my agency, the Oakbrook Terrace Park District. Within three days, 12 districts expressed an interest in meeting to talk about this subject. As you probably guessed, a lot of stories about contractors were shared. Contractors who left jobs to do other work. Contractors who failed to meet deadlines. Contractors who failed to read blueprints properly. Contractors whose performance bond had failed. There were good stories, too, about contractors who had performed well. Still, there were more negative stories than positive ones. Interestingly, most of the representatives from agencies at this meeting were not novices regarding construction projects. They were aware of the bidding process, performance bonds, lines of communication, punch lists, bid bonds and the like. Yet, the majority were still having problems with contractors that cost their agencies time and money.

One story, for example, was that of a contractor who had been shown and told not to cut through a cement area because of existing electrical lines lying below. Yet, he cut through those lines almost costing the park district a month's schedule at its lighted ball fields. Then there's the story of the paving contractor who took side jobs in the same neighborhood as the park district for which he worked. As the park district waited to get its project finished, the neighborhood had its driveways done in short order. The story that so many seem to

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THINGS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR CONTRACTOR

share is the one of contractors who do not complete projects on time when weather and labor are not issues.

The group discussed many issues — from existing legislation that protects contractors, to new legislation that could be helpful to park and recreation agencies. During those first meetings an idea took hold. How valuable would it be to our agencies if we knew before or during the bidding process about a contractor's past performance with other park districts? Reference checks are the norm, but how many contractors will provide a reference for a job in which their performance was questioned? Also, how many times have you hired a contractor who has never worked with a park district or recreation agency before?

The idea of a database that would list contractors and the park and recreation agencies that they've worked for, types of projects, size of contracts and performance results, began to take shape. Questions emerged, too. Would it be useful? Would it be legal?

Contractor Evaluation Survey
The tool designed by this group, the "Contractors Evaluation Committee," is called the Contractors Evaluation Survey, and it works on a few levels. First, it identifies contractors and the park districts that they've done work for. Second, it gives the reader a factual breakdown of the types of project and construction budgets per project. Finally, it not only identifies results of projects by contractor, but also those contractors who previously have done a certain type of work. This could be helpful to agencies that are in search of contractors to bid on projects.

Once the committee completed the survey, its members felt that it was important to use a test market to see what type of data we received and if there were any changes that needed to be made to the survey. Thirteen park districts and recreation agencies participated in the test market this past summer. As part of the survey, agencies were told the following:

"The survey is a reference tool. It is not a pre-qualification tool for selecting contractors. This survey is intended to be factual and concise, and to this end you are encouraged to conform to the design of the survey and refrain from subjective opinions related to your experience"

The committee — with the help of Peter Murphy, general counsel for the Illinois Association of Park Districts — believes that this opening statement is important for legal issues. The 16-question survey deals with specific issues and does not encourage participants to make value judgements about contractors.

The results of the test market show that a high percentage of participating agencies had a good expri-

Contractors Evaluation Comitee Tracey Alden Recreation Director Western Springs Recreation Department Mike Christopher Assistant Director Streamwood Park District Tom Connolly Director Medinah Park District Roy Cripe Director Oak Brook Park District Lynn Dunn Commissioner Butterfield Park District Keith Gorczya Director of Parks and Facilities Carol Stream Park District Gary Kasanders Director Westchester Park District Peter Murphy General Counsel Illinois Association of Park Districts Cindy Neal Executive Director Hickory Hills Park District Mario Parente Director of Parks and Recreation Oakbrook Terrace Park District Larry Reiner Commissioner Buffalo Grove Park District Theresa Thorns Director Butterfield Park District Special thanks to Angie Howard of the Illinois Association of Park Districts for designing the data collection and Web site. Thanks also to the legal firm of Moss & Bloomberg, Ltd.

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ence with their contractors. Still, 50 percent claimed to be over budget totalling $257,534. Also, 50 percent of the projects were not completed on time. Some projects are still not complete and some agencies are considering litigation.

One of the surprising results from conversations with other agencies is the hesitation to share information. The committee could not determine if it was the fear of litigation or general apathy. After numerous meetings with the Contractors Evaluation Committee, we decided that sharing information like this is very important. It is as important as combining our talents to reduce the cost of liability or medical insurance or telling our story to the state legislature when new issues in the park and recreation field arise. In this era of taxcaps and downsizing, is it not beneficial to all of us to share information regarding contractors?

On-line Database
Next steps for the committee are information gathering and creation of a database housed on the IAPD Web site so park districts and recreation agencies can have access to the information. The Illinois Association of Park Districts is designing the Web site database, and the committee hopes to launch the site by January of 2001. Of course, none of this can work without information from IAPD member park districts, recreation agencies and forest preserves. The more surveys completed, the better the database and information.

First, you can receive a survey form at any time. We kept the survey to 16 questions so it would be easy for participants to complete.

The costs of maintaining the database and Web site are important issues. The database and Web site will be available to IAPD members who have paid their annual dues. The Web site will be a secure site, and each member agency will have its own password. The cost for agencies to sign-up during the 2001 IAPD/ IPRA Annual Conference in Peoria will be a "Conference Special" of $100 for the year. The cost after the state conference will be $125.

I hope agencies will participate in this new program. If your agency was able to cut its construction time in half and save in construction costs overruns, would the $100 be worth it? •

MARIO PARENTE is the director of parks and recreation for the Oakbrook Terrace Park District.

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