Insights · Published · Updated
The lowest bid lost on 24 of 42 Illinois cleaning contracts. Here's why.
On 24 of 42 Illinois public custodial contracts where the award is on record, the lowest bidder did not get the job. Staffing hours, missing documents, references, a withdrawal and scored proposals all played a part.
Most Illinois public cleaning contracts are supposed to go to the "lowest responsible bidder." The word responsible does a lot of work. Out of 42 Illinois custodial contracts in our records where the full bid list and the award are both documented, the lowest bidder lost 24 times.
Here's why, from the agencies' own documents.
1. Too few hours to do the job
City of St. Charles (2022). Nine proposals came in. The city set aside three of them because they planned too few staff hours to meet the cleaning specs, and the award went well above the lowest number on the page.
Lisle Library District (2026). Ten proposals came in to clean one building seven nights a week. The lowest planned two people for about an hour and a half a night. The board chose the second-lowest as the lowest "qualified, responsible, and responsive" bid.
The lesson: reviewers read the staffing plan next to the price. If the hours don't add up for the building, the low number may not count.
2. Missing pieces at the opening
Lincolnwood School District 74 (2024). Six bids came in. The two lowest were disqualified, and the contract went to the third-lowest.
City of Des Plaines (2025). Four bids came in. The lowest arrived without the quality control plan and municipal references the city required, so staff did not consider it responsible. The second-lowest won.
Lake Forest School District 67 (2024). Six bids came in. The lowest was ruled non-responsive because required line items were missing, and the award went to the second-lowest.
Valley View CUSD 365U (2026). Seven bids came in. The lowest was marked incomplete and the second-lowest did not meet specifications, so the third-lowest won.
The lesson: a missing form, plan, reference list or bond can knock out a winning price before anyone compares numbers.
3. The low bidder walked away
North Shore School District 112 (2024). Nine bids came in. The lowest bidder withdrew after the opening, saying it had misunderstood the specifications, and the award went to the next bid.
The lesson: a price far below everyone else's is often a sign something in the specs was missed.
4. Not chosen on cost alone
When an agency asks for proposals instead of sealed low bids, price is one factor among several.
- City of Wheaton (2026): 12 proposals. The city said the choice was "not chosen on cost alone" and awarded the second-lowest.
- City of Wheaton (2025): 7 proposals. The award went to the sixth-lowest.
- Lake Land College (2024): the college chose the second-lowest bidder, and its memo cited having a vendor in the district for accountability and oversight.
- Village of Indian Head Park (2026): 6 proposals. The two lowest were judged not responsible over references and past performance; the third-lowest won.
- DuPage Airport Authority (2025): 16 proposals. Price was only 20% of the score, and the third-lowest won.
The lesson: read the evaluation criteria. References, a local presence, the work plan and the interview can outweigh a lower price.
5. Big gaps, reasons not in the records
On several contracts the lowest bid lost by a wide margin, and the documents we received don't say why:
- Peoria County (2025): five-year contract, awarded at about 60% above the lowest proposal.
- Four Rivers Sanitation Authority (2026): awarded to the third-lowest of seven, about 60% above the lowest.
- Mokena School District 159 (2025): awarded to the third-lowest of six.
- City of Geneva (2024): the city called the fourth-lowest bid "the lowest responsible bid."
The lesson: when an agency scores proposals, a low price can lose on the other factors. When the reasons aren't published, the evaluation sheets can be requested through a public records request.
6. Small gaps count too
City of Darien (2021) and the Village of Willowbrook (2022) both chose the second-lowest bid, each within about 7% of the lowest.
The lesson: on smaller municipal contracts, how complete the proposal is can matter as much as a few percent on price.
For balance: on the other 18 contracts the lowest bid did win.
What this means
Winning a public cleaning bid isn't only about having the lowest number. It's about a complete, responsive bid that holds up against the specs: the hours, the forms, the plans and the references. Many of these losses came down to things our Bid Desk checklist checks before a bid goes in: hours, forms, plans, references and bonds.
Where these numbers come from
Each case comes from the agency's published bid tabulation, board packet, staff memo or records-request response. The 42 contracts are the ones in our records where both the full bid list and the final award are documented. Contracts where only some prices were released are left out. We update this count as new records come in.
Figures are from public records available as of November 6, 2026. Newer bids may have been awarded since; subscribers get every new result.
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We go through every requirement on your bid with page numbers: staffing hours, forms, plans, references and bonds. You also get what comparable contracts were awarded for and who else is looking at the bid. You set your price; we check everything around it.
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