FOIA Request to Village of Thebes regarding procurement bids and RFP submissions on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Village of Thebes by Southern Illinois News, 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 specific records requested include details such as solicitation or project titles, names of bidders or proposers, submission dates, bid amounts or proposed costs, and descriptions of the goods or services proposed. This request is aimed at gathering information of public interest for dissemination and is limited to existing records without necessitating the creation of new documents.
Southern Illinois News emphasized that if any part of this request is denied or withheld, they require a specific statutory basis for such denial along with all reasonably segregable portions of the records. As members of the media involved in reporting news to the public, they also requested a fee waiver based on their role in providing transparency and holding public institutions accountable.
The requester is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this organization can be found on their website: 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.
