HB3203 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 17000 RJF 22420 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB3203

Introduced 2/19/2021, by Rep. Jaime M. Andrade, Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

30 ILCS 500/20-120
30 ILCS 540/7	from Ch. 127, par. 132.407

Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that the Capital Development Board and the Department of Transportation shall each, by rule, implement a pilot program under which select construction contracts shall contain provisions that if a subcontractor has performed in accordance with the provisions of the subcontract and the work has been accepted by the State agency, the State agency shall pay the subcontractor directly. Provides that the program shall be implemented by January 1, 2023. Amends the State Prompt Payment Act. Provides that certain provisions concerning payments to subcontractors do not apply to payments to a subcontractor for work performed under a subcontract entered into with a construction contractor if the contract contains a provision that the State agency shall pay the subcontractor directly.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning finance.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Procurement Code is amended by changing Section 20-120 as follows:

(30 ILCS 500/20-120)

Sec. 20-120. Subcontractors.

(a) Any contract granted under this Code shall state whether the services of a subcontractor will be used. The contract shall include the names and addresses of all known subcontractors with subcontracts with an annual value of more than $50,000, the general type of work to be performed by these subcontractors, and the expected amount of money each will receive under the contract. Upon the request of the chief procurement officer appointed pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Section 10-20, the contractor shall provide the chief procurement officer a copy of a subcontract so identified within 15 calendar days after the request is made. A subcontractor, or contractor on behalf of a subcontractor, may identify information that is deemed proprietary or confidential. If the chief procurement officer determines the information is not relevant to the primary contract, the chief procurement officer may excuse the inclusion of the information. If the chief procurement officer determines the information is proprietary or could harm the business interest of the subcontractor, the chief procurement officer may, in his or her discretion, redact the information. Redacted information shall not become part of the public record.

(b) If at any time during the term of a contract, a contractor adds or changes any subcontractors, he or she shall promptly notify, in writing, the chief procurement officer, State purchasing officer, or their designee of the names and addresses of each new or replaced subcontractor and the general type of work to be performed. Upon the request of the chief procurement officer appointed pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Section 10-20, the contractor shall provide the chief procurement officer a copy of any new or amended subcontract so identified within 15 calendar days after the request is made.

(c) In addition to any other requirements of this Code, a subcontract subject to this Section must include all of the subcontractor's certifications required by Article 50 of the Code.

(c-5) The Capital Development Board and the Department of Transportation shall each, by rule, implement a pilot program under which select construction contracts granted under this Code and all subcontracts pursuant to those contracts shall contain provisions that if a subcontractor has performed in accordance with the provisions of his or her subcontract and the work has been accepted by the appropriate State agency, the State agency shall pay the amount due the subcontractor directly to the subcontractor pursuant to the proper bill or invoice provided by the contractor to the State agency in accordance with the provisions of the State Prompt Payment Act. If a construction contract granted under this Code contains a provision that the State agency shall pay the subcontractor directly, the contractor shall deliver to the State agency a proper bill or invoice, as defined in the State Prompt Payment Act, for each subcontractor with whom the contractor has a subcontract. The program shall be implemented by January 1, 2023.

(d) This Section applies to procurements solicited on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly. The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly apply to procurements solicited on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 97-895, eff. 8-3-12; 98-1076, eff. 1-1-15.)

Section 10. The State Prompt Payment Act is amended by changing Section 7 as follows:

(30 ILCS 540/7) (from Ch. 127, par. 132.407)

Sec. 7. Payments to subcontractors and material suppliers.

(a) When a State official or agency responsible for administering a contract submits a voucher to the Comptroller for payment to a contractor, that State official or agency shall promptly make available electronically the voucher number, the date of the voucher, and the amount of the voucher. The State official or agency responsible for administering the contract shall provide subcontractors and material suppliers, known to the State official or agency, with instructions on how to access the electronic information.

(a-5) When a contractor receives any payment, the contractor shall pay each subcontractor and material supplier electronically within 10 business days or 15 calendar days, whichever occurs earlier, or, if paid by a printed check, the printed check must be postmarked within 10 business days or 15 calendar days, whichever occurs earlier, after receiving payment in proportion to the work completed by each subcontractor and material supplier its application or pay estimate, plus interest received under this Act. When a contractor receives any payment, the contractor shall pay each lower-tiered subcontractor and material supplier and each subcontractor and material supplier shall make payment to its own respective subcontractors and material suppliers. If the contractor receives less than the full payment due under the public construction contract, the contractor shall be obligated to disburse on a pro rata basis those funds received, plus interest received under this Act, with the contractor, subcontractors and material suppliers each receiving a prorated portion based on the amount of payment each has earned. When, however, the State official or agency does not release the full payment due under the contract because there are specific areas of work or materials the State agency or official has determined are not suitable for payment, then those specific subcontractors or material suppliers involved shall not be paid for that portion of work rejected or deemed not suitable for payment and all other subcontractors and suppliers shall be paid based upon the amount of payment each has earned, plus interest received under this Act.

(a-10) For construction contracts with the Department of Transportation, the contractor, subcontractor, or material supplier, regardless of tier, shall not offset, decrease, or diminish payment or payments that are due to its subcontractors or material suppliers without reasonable cause.

A contractor, who refuses to make prompt payment within 10 business days or 15 calendar days, whichever occurs earlier, after receiving payment, in whole or in part, shall provide to the subcontractor or material supplier and the public owner or its agent, a written notice of that refusal. The written notice shall be made by a contractor no later than 5 calendar days after payment is received by the contractor. The written notice shall identify the Department of Transportation's contract, any subcontract or material purchase agreement, a detailed reason for refusal, the value of the payment to be withheld, and the specific remedial actions required of the subcontractor or material supplier so that payment may be made. Written notice of refusal may be given in a form and method which is acceptable to the parties and public owner.

(b) If the contractor, without reasonable cause, fails to make full payment of amounts due under subsection (a) to its subcontractors and material suppliers within 10 business days or 15 calendar days, whichever occurs earlier, after receipt of payment from the State official or agency, the contractor shall pay to its subcontractors and material suppliers, in addition to the payment due them, interest in the amount of 2% per month, calculated from the expiration of the 10-business-day period or the 15-calendar-day period until fully paid. This subsection shall further apply to any payments made by subcontractors and material suppliers to their subcontractors and material suppliers and to all payments made to lower tier subcontractors and material suppliers throughout the contracting chain.

(1) If a contractor, without reasonable cause, fails to make payment in full as provided in subsection (a-5) within 10 business days or 15 calendar days, whichever occurs earlier, after receipt of payment under the public construction contract, any subcontractor or material supplier to whom payments are owed may file a written notice and request for administrative hearing with the State official or agency setting forth the amount owed by the contractor and the contractor's failure to timely pay the amount owed. The written notice and request for administrative hearing shall identify the public construction contract, the contractor, and the amount owed, and shall contain a sworn statement or attestation to verify the accuracy of the notice. The notice and request for administrative hearing shall be filed with the State official for the public construction contract, with a copy of the notice concurrently provided to the contractor. Notice to the State official may be made by certified or registered mail, messenger service, or personal service, and must include proof of delivery to the State official.

(2) The State official or agency, within 15 calendar days after receipt of a subcontractor's or material supplier's written notice and request for administrative hearing, shall hold a hearing convened by an administrative law judge to determine whether the contractor withheld payment, without reasonable cause, from the subcontractors or material suppliers and what amount, if any, is due to the subcontractors or material suppliers, and the reasonable cause or causes asserted by the contractor. The State official or agency shall provide appropriate notice to the parties of the date, time, and location of the hearing. Each contractor, subcontractor, or material supplier has the right to be represented by counsel at a hearing and to cross-examine witnesses and challenge documents. Upon the request of the subcontractor or material supplier and a showing of good cause, reasonable continuances may be granted by the administrative law judge.

(3) Upon a finding by the administrative law judge that the contractor failed to make payment in full, without reasonable cause, as provided in subsection (a-10), then the administrative law judge shall, in writing, order the contractor to pay the amount owed to the subcontractors or material suppliers plus interest within 15 calendar days after the order.

(4) If a contractor fails to make full payment as ordered under paragraph (3) of this subsection (b) within 15 days after the administrative law judge's order, then the contractor shall be barred from entering into a State public construction contract for a period of one year beginning on the date of the administrative law judge's order.

(5) If, on 2 or more occasions within a 3-calendar-year period, there is a finding by an administrative law judge that the contractor failed to make payment in full, without reasonable cause, and a written order was issued to a contractor under paragraph (3) of this subsection (b), then the contractor shall be barred from entering into a State public construction contract for a period of 6 months beginning on the date of the administrative law judge's second written order, even if the payments required under the orders were made in full.

(6) If a contractor fails to make full payment as ordered under paragraph (4) of this subsection (b), the subcontractor or material supplier may, within 30 days of the date of that order, petition the State agency for an order for reasonable attorney's fees and costs incurred in the prosecution of the action under this subsection (b). Upon that petition and taking of additional evidence, as may be required, the administrative law judge may issue a supplemental order directing the contractor to pay those reasonable attorney's fees and costs.

(7) The written order of the administrative law judge shall be final and appealable under the Administrative Review Law.

(b-5) On or before July 2021, the Department of Transportation shall publish on its website a searchable database that allows for queries for each active construction contract by the name of a subcontractor or the pay item such that each pay item is associated with either the prime contractor or a subcontractor.

(c) This Section shall not be construed to in any manner diminish, negate, or interfere with the contractor-subcontractor or contractor-material supplier relationship or commercially useful function.

(c-5) The provisions of this Section do not apply to payments to a subcontractor for work performed under a subcontract entered into with a construction contractor if the contract contains a provision that the State agency shall pay the subcontractor directly as required under a pilot program implemented by the Capital Development Board or the Department of Transportation under subsection (c-5) of Section 20-120 of the Illinois Procurement Code.

(d) This Section shall not preclude, bar, or stay the rights, remedies, and defenses available to the parties by way of the operation of their contract, purchase agreement, the Mechanics Lien Act, or the Public Construction Bond Act.

(e) State officials and agencies may adopt rules as may be deemed necessary in order to establish the formal procedures required under this Section.

(f) As used in this Section:

"Payment" means the discharge of an obligation in money or other valuable consideration or thing delivered in full or partial satisfaction of an obligation to pay. "Payment" shall include interest paid pursuant to this Act.

"Reasonable cause" may include, but is not limited to, unsatisfactory workmanship or materials; failure to provide documentation required by the contract, subcontract, or material purchase agreement; claims made against the Department of Transportation or the subcontractor pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 23 of the Mechanics Lien Act or the Public Construction Bond Act; judgments, levies, garnishments, or other court-ordered assessments or offsets in favor of the Department of Transportation or other State agency entered against a subcontractor or material supplier. "Reasonable cause" does not include payments issued to the contractor that create a negative or reduced valuation pay application or pay estimate due to a reduction of contract quantities or work not performed or provided by the subcontractor or material supplier; the interception or withholding of funds for reasons not related to the subcontractor's or material supplier's work on the contract; anticipated claims or assessments of third parties not a party related to the contract or subcontract; asserted claims or assessments of third parties that are not authorized by court order, administrative tribunal, or statute. "Reasonable cause" further does not include the withholding, offset, or reduction of payment, in whole or in part, due to the assessment of liquidated damages or penalties assessed by the Department of Transportation against the contractor, unless the subcontractor's performance or supplied materials were the sole and proximate cause of the liquidated damage or penalty.

(Source: P.A. 100-43, eff. 8-9-17; 100-376, eff. 1-1-18; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18; 101-524, eff. 1-1-20.)