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 and scale work.

Program details and results

Tollway staff reported that the agency spent more than $102,000,000 on goods and services for general operations in 2024; nearly $24,000,000 of that (23.2%) went to certified Business Enterprise Program (BEP) and veteran firms, the presenter said. The program update highlighted outreach activities and a contracting expo held in November at the South Shore Cultural Center that drew nearly 300 business owners.

On the Small Business Initiative, the presenter said the Tollway awarded nine contracts in 2024 worth nearly $13,000,000. One company — identified in the presentation as Terrassas — won its first Tollway prime contract after moving up from subcontractor work. As of December, more than 220 firms had reenrolled in the SBI program, staff said.

Partnering for Growth and technical assistance

Staff said the Partnering for Growth programs continue to place protégés with prime contractors: the Tollway executed seven new prime–sub agreements during the latest reporting period and has approved nine extensions to existing mentor–protégé agreements. The presentation described 33 total P4G agreements since the program’s inception.

On technical assistance, staff reported that nearly 400 firms received help in the last year; TA clients obtained about 70 new certifications, submitted more than 150 prime bids or subcontractor quotes and were awarded nearly $20,000,000 in prime and subcontracting work across the Tollway and other regional agencies.

Workforce development and bid credits

The Tollway said 84 people were hired into apprenticeships and construction-ready jobs through its workforce programs. Contractors earned more than $1,200,000 in bid credits for hiring and retaining those workers, the presentation said.

Small-business testimonials

Several small-business representatives spoke to the committee about their experiences working with the Tollway.

Elise Jackson and Regine Jean, of DB Sterling Consultants, described the firm as a women-owned DBE engineering consultant that has worked with the Tollway as both a prime and a subconsultant. Jackson said participation in Tollway job-order contracting helped the firm grow and connect other vendors to Tollway resources.

Rafael Herrera, of SC3, told the committee that his firm had been part of Tollway capital programs since the congestion-relief program and credited Partnering for Growth and TA access with helping the company expand services and pursue prime construction-management work.

Aaron Patterson, vice president of business development for Infrastructure Engineering, said, “The DBE program is not a handout. It's an opportunity,” and credited Tollway feedback and performance ratings with helping the firm win new work outside the agency.

Outreach and upcoming events

Staff outlined several near-term events and training opportunities. The Tollway will host a second asphalt-paving workshop for small and diverse contractors on March 13 at the CA building. The agency also plans the inaugural “Paving Road to Success Invitational” (a competition for P4G protégés and TA clients) with the winning team to be featured at the fall 2025 ITQ and receive marketing support. A second “Contracting with Government — Goods and Services” expo is scheduled for May 13 at 9 a.m. at the Edward Schack Center in Elgin, staff said.

Staff also summarized the Tollway’s Building for Success webinar series, launched in July 2020; the program hosted 14 webinars last year with more than 800 attendees, including a webinar presented in Spanish.

Committee actions and meeting close

The committee approved the minutes of its Aug. 29, 2024 meeting by voice vote after a motion and second; directors signified approval with “aye” and the motion passed. No contested votes on substantive policy or procurement decisions were recorded during the session. The committee adjourned after brief remarks and member commendations.

The Tollway staff presentation and the vendor testimonials underline the agency’s stated emphasis on outreach, mentoring and training to increase competition and prime-contracting opportunities for small, diverse and veteran-owned businesses. Committee members were invited to provide input on future outreach topics and events.