FOIA Request to Jackson County regarding procurement bids and RFP submissions on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to Jackson County, Illinois, by Prairie State Wire, a media organization focused on local governmental affairs. The request seeks access to records related to procurement bids and responses to requests for proposals (RFPs) received by the county during the preceding calendar month.
The requested information includes 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. The request emphasizes that it is limited to existing records and does not require the creation of new documents. Prairie State Wire has expressed a preference for receiving these records in electronic format if available.
Prairie State Wire is seeking this information in order to gather data of public interest for dissemination. As a member of the news media, they are involved in gathering and reporting news to hold public institutions accountable and provide transparency. They have also requested a fee waiver based on their role as media professionals.
The requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies using FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this organization can be found at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
Jackson County’s educational system features an average student-to-teacher ratio of 13-to-1 for the 2022-23 school year, with 6,516 students enrolled across its schools supported by 514 full-time faculty members.
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.
