# Chicago eProcurement Bids and City Contracts Scraper (`talcoe/chicago-eprocurement`) Actor

Scrape open City of Chicago bid solicitations and contract awards, filtered by keyword, department, award window and amount, with a flat price per result.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/talcoe/chicago-eprocurement.md
- **Developed by:** [M Usama](https://apify.com/talcoe) (community)
- **Categories:** Business
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

### What does Chicago eProcurement Bids and City Contracts Scraper do?

It returns City of Chicago procurement data in one clean dataset: open bid solicitations (title, department, solicitation and specification numbers, advertisement date, questions deadline, response due date, compliance goals) and recently approved contract awards (vendor, department, award amount, approval date, contract type, start and end dates). Filter by keyword, department, award window and minimum amount to keep runs small. Pricing is per result.

### Data source

Open solicitations are read from the City's public eProcurement solicitations page (no login needed), and contract awards from the City's public Contracts dataset on the Chicago Data Portal, which is updated as contracts are approved.

### Why use it?

- Lead generation for vendors: see which departments are buying and who is winning.
- Bid monitoring: schedule a daily run and get new solicitations by department or keyword in Slack, email or a spreadsheet.
- Market research: track award amounts, contract types and incumbents by department.
- Replaces checking the portal by hand and exporting a stale spreadsheet.

### How to use it

1. Open the Actor and set the filters.
2. Click Start. Download results as JSON, CSV or Excel, or read them through the API.
3. Add a Schedule and an Integration (Slack, Google Sheets, webhook) to get new records automatically.

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `dataTypes` | `bids`, `contracts`, or both. Default both. |
| `keywords` | Keep records whose title (and vendor name for contracts) contains any keyword. |
| `departments` | Keep records from departments whose name contains any of these, for example `Aviation`. |
| `daysBack` | Contracts approved in the last N days. Default 30. Does not apply to bids. |
| `minAwardAmount` | Contracts only. Skip awards below this dollar value. |
| `includeClosedBids` | Also return solicitations whose response date has passed. Default off. |
| `maxResults` | Hard stop for the run. You are billed per result, so this caps the cost. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | Apify proxy is recommended for larger runs. |

Example input:

```json
{
    "dataTypes": ["bids", "contracts"],
    "keywords": ["software"],
    "departments": ["Technology"],
    "daysBack": 90,
    "maxResults": 100
}
```

### Output

Every record has a `recordType` of `bid` or `contract`. Example bid:

```json
{
    "id": "bid:72293",
    "recordType": "bid",
    "title": "AED’s and Associated Support Materials at ORD MDW International Airports",
    "department": "CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION",
    "solicitationNumber": "72293",
    "specificationNumber": "1281345A",
    "category": "Commodities",
    "status": "open",
    "responseDueDate": "2026-11-30T11:00:00",
    "advertisedDate": "2026-09-30T09:15:00",
    "questionsDeadline": "2026-10-20T16:30:00",
    "complianceGoals": "MBE 10%, WBE 4% and VBE 1%"
}
```

Example contract:

```json
{
    "id": "contract:216776:2",
    "recordType": "contract",
    "title": "CDPH-MNTL-HLTH: PO 192904 Inner City Muslim Action Network",
    "department": "CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH",
    "vendorName": "INNER-CITY MUSLIM ACTION",
    "awardAmount": 0,
    "approvalDate": "2026-10-21",
    "contractNumber": "216776",
    "revisionNumber": "2",
    "contractType": "DELEGATE AGENCY",
    "vendorCity": "CHICAGO",
    "vendorState": "IL"
}
```

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `id` | Stable key, safe for deduplication between runs |
| `recordType` | `bid` or `contract` |
| `title` | Solicitation title or contract description |
| `department` | City department |
| `status` | Bids only: `open` or `closed`, based on the response due date |
| `responseDueDate` | Bids only: due date in Chicago local time, no time zone offset |
| `awardAmount` | Contracts only: award value in USD (modifications can be 0) |
| `approvalDate` | Contracts only: date the award or modification was approved |
| `contractNumber`, `revisionNumber` | Contracts only: contract key. Each revision is its own record |
| `scrapedAt` | When the record was collected |

### Pricing

Pay per event: a small fee when a run starts, then a fixed price per result returned. You only pay for records that pass your filters. Set `maxResults` to cap any run.

### Limitations

- The City's solicitations page shows its most recent 30 listings and most are usually already closed, so expect a handful of open bids per run. Run it on a schedule to catch new ones.
- Bid documents and addenda sit behind the City's supplier registration and are not downloaded. Each bid links to the public solicitations page.
- Non eProcurement courtesy notices posted as PDFs are not included.
- Contract records can include modifications with an award amount of 0.

### FAQ

**Is this legal?** The Actor reads listings the site publishes for any visitor without a login and stores only business information published for that purpose. You are responsible for how you use the data.

**Something is missing or broken?** Open an issue in the Issues tab; response time is usually under a day.

# Actor input Schema

## `dataTypes` (type: `array`):

Open bid solicitations, awarded contracts, or both.

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Return only records whose title (and vendor name for contracts) contains any of these words. Leave empty for everything.

## `departments` (type: `array`):

Match city department names, for example Aviation, Water Management, Streets. Partial names work.

## `daysBack` (type: `integer`):

Contracts approved in the last N days. Does not apply to bids.

## `minAwardAmount` (type: `integer`):

Contracts only. Skip awards below this dollar value.

## `includeClosedBids` (type: `boolean`):

By default only solicitations still accepting responses are returned.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Hard stop for the run. You are billed per result, so this caps the cost.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Apify proxy is recommended for larger runs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "dataTypes": [
    "bids",
    "contracts"
  ],
  "keywords": [],
  "departments": [],
  "daysBack": 30,
  "minAwardAmount": 0,
  "includeClosedBids": false,
  "maxResults": 100,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "dataTypes": [
        "bids",
        "contracts"
    ],
    "keywords": [],
    "departments": [],
    "daysBack": 30,
    "maxResults": 100,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("talcoe/chicago-eprocurement").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "dataTypes": [
        "bids",
        "contracts",
    ],
    "keywords": [],
    "departments": [],
    "daysBack": 30,
    "maxResults": 100,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("talcoe/chicago-eprocurement").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "dataTypes": [
    "bids",
    "contracts"
  ],
  "keywords": [],
  "departments": [],
  "daysBack": 30,
  "maxResults": 100,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call talcoe/chicago-eprocurement --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,talcoe/chicago-eprocurement"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/gvPaxhPA0eqvrnJib/builds/8aP3GtkTmRvQTIwuI/openapi.json