FOIA Request to City of Highwood regarding procurement bids and RFP submissions on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted by the Lake County Gazette to the City of Highwood, Illinois, seeking access to records related to procurement bids and responses to requests for proposals (RFPs) received by the city during the immediately preceding calendar month. The request was made under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, with a preference for receiving the information in electronic format.
The Lake County Gazette is requesting detailed records that include solicitation or project titles, names of bidders or proposers, submission dates, bid amounts or proposed costs, and descriptions of goods or services proposed. This request aims to gather information that holds public interest and is intended for dissemination to the public. It specifically asks for existing records without necessitating the creation of new documents.
The FOIA request also emphasizes that if any part of it is denied or withheld, a specific statutory basis for such denial should be provided along with all reasonably segregable portions of the records. As members of the media, we have highlighted our role in gathering and reporting news to ensure transparency and accountability in public institutions. We have requested a fee waiver based on our professional responsibilities.
The requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization assisting media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this organization can be found at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.
