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Commercial Construction Projects in Chicago

There are 2,200 active commercial construction projects in the Chicago area, and 42 of them are bidding in the next 30 days. Find project leads, track bid dates and get your bids in early on the opportunities that fit your trade and territory with Dodge Construction Network.

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  • 2,200ActiveActive commercial projects
  • 42Next 30 daysBidding in next 30 days
  • Cook CountyTop countyMost active county
  • Apartments + RetailTop typeMost active project type

What is Dodge Construction Network?

Dodge Construction Network is North America's leading source of commercial construction project data, market intelligence, and forecasting analytics. Contractors choose Dodge because the platform tracks commercial construction projects from pre-planning and design through permit and construction start - giving them the earliest possible visibility into what is being built, who is building it, and what is being specified, months before that information is available anywhere else.

Projects bidding now in Chicago

A sample of construction bids from the live Dodge list. Filter by county, value, stage and project type to find commercial projects to bid on in Chicago.

ProjectCityCountyEstimated valueStageProject type
Wheatley Hall Air Handling Unit Upgrades, Phase 1ChicagoCook County$500,000–$749,999BiddingCollege/University
Mystic View Parking Lot ImprovementsWheatonDuPage County$500,000–$749,999BiddingSidewalk/Parking Lot
District Wide Roofing Repair and Maintenance IQCWaukeganLake County$500,000–$749,999BiddingMiscellaneous
Traffic Signal ImprovementsJolietWill County$569,025BiddingRoadway Lighting
Montachusett Fire Pump ReplacementGenevaKane County$200,000–$499,999BiddingFire/Police Station
Radio Tower Demolition and Construction (Sources Sought)WoodstockMcHenry County$100,000–$500,000BiddingTower/Signal System

View the full Dodge list

Where the commercial work is in Chicago

Active commercial projects

1,980

across the top five counties

Cook alone holds 56% of the top-five total, more than 3.5x DuPage.

Darker counties have more active commercial projects. Source: Dodge Construction Network, September 2026.

By county

  • Cook County1,100
  • DuPage County310
  • Will County240
  • Lake County180
  • Kane County150

By project type

  • Apartments + Condos800
  • Retail400
  • Parking Garage210
  • Office210
  • Paving180

Chicago commercial construction outlook

Commercial construction starts in Chicago is expected to total $32 billion in 2026 , up 30% from the prior year, according to Dodge Construction Network. In commercial construction, office continues to lead starts activity with multi-family housing projects close behind.

Construction Starts — Yearly

Source: Dodge Construction Network

Commercial starts by yearly

$8B
▲ 30% vs prior year
  • $21B
    2023
  • $21B
    2024
  • $24B
    2025
  • $32B
    2026
Source: Dodge Construction Network construction starts, commercial building only.

What's driving commercial construction in Chicago?

On the South Side, the $5.7 billion CTA Red Line Extension (under construction through 2030) and the state-backed Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, with its first phase due in 2027, will generate subcontract and supply work for years. In the northwest suburbs near O'Hare, especially Elk Grove Village, data center campuses are driving demand for electrical, mechanical and substation work. Downtown, roughly 26 office-to-residential conversions worth about $1.8 billion were underway as of mid-2026, making renovation and interior work the biggest source of bid opportunities in the Loop.

Most active commercial contractors in Chicago

General contractors and construction managers with the most Chicago projects in Dodge data over the past 12 months.

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  1. FCL Builders
    Itasca, IL
  2. ARCO Murray
    Downers Grove, IL
  3. D Construction Inc
    Coal City, IL
  4. Nicholas & Associates
    Mount Prospect, IL
  5. C. Lee Construction Services
    Gary, IN
  6. IHC Construction Company
    Elgin, IL
  7. Alston Construction
    Downers Grove, IL
  8. Livewire Construction
    Calumet Park, IL

How to find projects before they go out to bid

By the time a project is advertised, the general contractor list is often set and many subcontractor relationships are already in place. Contractors and suppliers who win consistently start tracking projects during planning and design, while they can still reach the owner, architect or GC.

  1. PlanningThe owner announces the project and seeks zoning or funding approvals.
  2. DesignThe architect and engineers are hired and drawings develop.
  3. BiddingPlans are released and GCs and subs submit prices.
  4. AwardThe contract is awarded and construction starts.

Dodge tracks projects from the planning stage, often months before bid documents and ITBs are released, and records the owner, architect, engineers and bidding contractors as they are named.

See projects in planning and design

Finding subcontractors for projects

General contractors bidding can find verified local trade contractors through Downtobid, part of Dodge Construction Network. Profiles show each contractor’s trades, specializations, service area and how quickly they respond to invitations to bid (ITBs).

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About this data

Project counts, values and stages on this page come from Dodge Construction Network. Dodge researchers collect project information from owners, architects, engineers, contractors and public records, and verify details as projects move from planning through award. This page is a monthly snapshot of commercial project types. The live Chicago project list is updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

See every commercial project in Chicago

The public list shows about 14% of Dodge projects. Full access adds planning-stage projects, contacts, plans and specs.

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