Doing Business

Jaime Sutton, Lake View resident and brickmason, worked on PBC’s Lake View High School renovation project.

The Public Building Commission is uniquely structured to plan, design, construct, and manage facilities and infrastructure for the County of Cook, City of Chicago and its Sister Agencies. The process of adding new public facilities and infrastructure to a community is a complex one, involving General Contractors, Architects and Designers, Specialty Consultants, other subcontractors, public utilities and regulatory agencies, among others. Outreach and education are critical to these efforts. We take both seriously, and are constantly developing new means, including deploying the technological tools available to us, that draw people and businesses into our programs and projects.

Those interested in working with the PBC are encouraged to explore our website and learn more about how the PBC shares information about upcoming projects. Please take time to register for PBC Alerts where you will be notified about upcoming PBC opportunities.

The PBC has a rich history of community participation in its programs and projects, with a commitment to economic sustainability. From community hiring and local residency requirements, to MBE/WBE participation and equal employment opportunity goals, the PBC has been at the forefront of developing and implementing programs that enable the rich diversity of Chicago and Cook County to be represented in the work of the PBC. The cornerstone of these participation requirements are embodied in the following provisions included in PBC procurement documents and construction contracts:

  • Bid incentives for the employment of apprentices
  • Bid incentives for the employment of minority and female workers
  • Contract provisions that require that at least 50% of the labor hours worked be performed by local resident workforce
  • Contract provisions that require community hiring; helping to employ those closest to the work at hand
  • Contract provisions that require Chicago General Contractors awarded PBC projects to subcontract at least 25% of the contract worth to Chicago subcontractors (General Contractors not located in Chicago must award at least 35% of the work to local subcontractors)
  • Contract provisions that require minority- and women-owned business participation