CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Accept the record of Emergency Procurement 26-207, Roadway Salt, to Midwest Salt, LLC for an amount not to exceed $454,000
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DEPARTMENT: Department of Public Works
SUBMITTED BY: Dan Randolph, P.E., Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The Department of Public Works (DPW) requires roadway salt to support the City’s winter snow and ice control operations. Over the past 10 years, the City has used an average of 11,400 tons of salt per year. During the mild 2025-2026 winter season, the City used approximately 7,400 tons of salt. The City has several options for procuring roadway salt, including conducting its own bid for summer delivery and participating in cooperative purchasing programs offered by the State of Illinois and DuPage County. For the 2026-2027 winter season, the City participated in the State of Illinois cooperative purchasing program because it has historically provided more favorable pricing.
Under the State program, the City is required to estimate and submit its anticipated salt requirements by April for the upcoming winter season. The City is then obligated to purchase a minimum of 80% of the requested quantity, while the awarded vendor is required to make up to 120% of the requested quantity available to the City upon request. This structure provides the City with a reliable supply while maintaining flexibility to adjust purchases based on actual winter weather conditions.
The State bid requires the City to submit a separate salt quantity request for each storage dome location. Vendors submit pricing for each location, and the lowest responsible bidder is selected for each location. This approach accounts for variations in transportation costs, which can significantly affect the delivered price of salt depending on the distance between the supplier and each storage facility.
In April, the City requested a total of 9,000 tons of roadway salt through the State of Illinois cooperative purchasing program for the 2026-2027 winter season.
DISCUSSION:
On July 28, 2026, the State of Illinois notified the City that no bids were received for the Public Works Service Center salt storage location. The City was provided with two options: independently procure roadway salt or remain in the State’s procurement process for emergency sourcing. The State advised that there was no guarantee it would be able to secure salt for the City’s location through the emergency sourcing process due to the limited availability of rock salt in the current market.
The City did receive a bid through the state program for 3,000 tons of salt for the salt dome located near Naperville/Plainfield Road; however, pricing was not available at the time of notification. Based on preliminary information, staff anticipates the delivered price will exceed $140 per ton.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the State procurement and the limited availability of roadway salt, staff immediately began exploring alternative procurement options. The City was unable to be added to the DuPage County salt procurement. Staff also contacted several salt vendors with whom the City has previously conducted business to determine whether they could provide salt and pricing, as well as multiple small local vendors. Midwest Salt LLC was able to provide a firm price of $113.50 per ton for 4,000 tons of roadway salt. All other vendors were either unable to provide firm pricing, confirm availability, or quoted prices higher than Midwest’s.
Due to the limited availability of salt, uncertainty surrounding the State’s emergency sourcing process, and the need to secure an adequate supply for winter operations, the City Manager approved an emergency procurement on August 3, 2026, pursuant to Section 1-9B-4-8, Emergency Procurements, of the Naperville Procurement Code. The emergency procurement authorizes funding for the purchase of 4,000 tons of roadway salt from Midwest Salt LLC.
In addition, the City elected to remain in the State of Illinois procurement process for the emergency sourcing of an additional 5,000 tons. This approach provides the City with multiple sources of supply and helps mitigate the risk of insufficient salt availability during the 2026-2027 winter season.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP#:NA
Emergency roadway salt is being expensed to the Salt and Chemicals account listed below. While the Department of Public Works included funds in the 2026 budget for roadway salt, this additional unbudgeted purchase is required due to unforeseen market conditions for salt.
It is anticipated that the roadway salt purchase can be supported within the 2026 budget, however staff will continue to monitor expenses and make adjustments as needed to support the emergency roadway salt purchase.
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Account Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget |
|
31251100-541409 |
General Fund |
$592,750 |