Illinois Tollway says DBE, veteran firms won just over $270 million of 2024 contracting; agency outlines outreach and training

The Illinois Tollway’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee on Feb. 20 received a program update showing that the agency paid more than $270,000,000 to certified disadvantaged-business-enterprise (DBE) and veteran-owned firms in 2024 and described a series of outreach and training events aimed at increasing participation by small and diverse vendors.

Marlene, a Tollway staff member who presented the data, told the committee that “In 2024, the Tollway paid more than $890,000,000 for construction and professional services. Of that total, more than $270,000,000, or just over 30%, was paid to certified DBE and veteran owned firms.” She said construction spending to DBE and veteran firms was nearly 24% and that “more than 49% of all professional services spending went to diverse and veteran firms.”

The update covered spending reported across several procurement categories from 2019 through 2024 and detailed the agency’s programs to expand supplier capacity, including the Small Business Initiative (SBI), Partnering for Growth (P4G), technical assistance (TA) and workforce development efforts.

Why it matters: The numbers show the Tollway’s reported purchasing mix for 2024 and underscore the agency’s stated efforts to grow the pipeline of small, diverse and veteran-owned firms. Committee members praised vendor representatives who described how Tollway contracts and technical assistance helped firms win…