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PROPOSED CONTRACT AMENDMENT
Department(s): Department of Resource Management
Vendor: Chicago Botanic Garden (“CBG”), Glencoe, Illinois
Request: Authorization for the Forest Preserves of Cook County (the “Forest Preserves”) to extend, amend, and increase contract
Good(s) or Service(s): Plants of Concern program and associated ancillary services
Original Contract Period: 1/1/2014 - 12/31/2017; Board Approved Extension 1/1/2018 - 12/31/2022
Proposed Contract Period Extension: 1/1/2023 - 12/31/2027
Total Current Contract Amount Authority: $275,000.00
Original Approval: 3/11/2014, $100,000.00
Previous Increase(s): 10/24/2017, $175,000.00
This Increase Requested: $375,000.00
Estimated Fiscal Impact: FY 2023 $75,000.00, FY 2024 $75,000.00, FY 2025 $75,000.00, FY 2026 $75,000.00, FY 2027 $75,000.00
Accounts: Professional Services 51031.520840; Grant and Mitigation 51010.521444 and 51010.520840; and all future Professional Services accounts
Contract Number(s): #74000002513
Concurrences:
The Chief Financial Officer has approved this item. Final amendment is subject to legal review and approval.
District(s): Districtwide
Summary: The Forest Preserves has maintained a collaborative partnership with CBG since 2014 to administer the Plants of Concern (“POC”) program. The Forest Preserves is requesting to extend the contract for the Plants of Concern program for an additional five (5) years, at a rate not to exceed $75,000.00 per year, in order to continue this beneficial research work as well as amend the scope of services to allow for expenses related to ancillary services such as seed collection, plant propagation, and banking of seed and/or herbarium specimens. These added services support the Forest Preserves’ mission to restore and preserve populations of rare plant species or other species identified as necessary for plant community enhancement in the Forest Preserves, based on information gathered through the POC program.
Plants of Concern engages citizen scientists to identify and monitor the Chicago region’s rarest plants, assess trends in their populations and provide important data used to conserve our rapidly declining floral heritage. The Forest Preserves’ work with the CBG allows for a dedicated intern to work specifically on Forest Preserves property in order to assess long-term trends in critical plant species, site biodiversity, and help inform Forest Preserves staff in their decision making regarding where to conduct restoration.
This contract was originally approved by the Forest Preserves of Cook County Board of Commissioners on 3/11/2014 (Board Item No. 14-0123), and subsequently amended on 10/24/2017 (Board Item No. 17-0267) to extend the program for an additional five-year term ending in 2022.
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