1. NOME Leadership Summit – Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
NOME Leadership Summit – Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Good afternoon, and thank you for having me. My name is Paul Gregoire, and I’m the Bureau Chief of Construction for the Illinois Department of Transportation’s District 1, which includes the Chicago area. I’d like to briefly discuss the opportunities we have at IDOT for minority contractors and consultants, including both the business services we offer as well as some of the upcoming work we’ll be putting out soon.
Paul Gregoire, P.E.
Bureau Chief of Construction, IDOT District 1

2. Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE)
Federally-regulated (49 CFR Part 26)
Eligibility:
For-profit small business
At least 51%-owned by “one or more individuals who are both socially and economically disadvantaged” and
Whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more of the socially and economically disadvantaged individuals who own the business.
As many of you know, IDOT uses the federally-regulated Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) system, which helps us to ensure that small minority- and women-owned firms are actively benefitting from the billions of dollars IDOT bids out each year.
Source: IDOT DBE website
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
Idot.Illinois.gov

3. Illinois Unified Certification Program (UCP)
Reciprocal DBE certification with other agencies:
City of Chicago
Chicago Transit Authority
Metra
Pace
IL UCP Directory
Resource for prime consultants/contractors to find DBE-certified subconsultants/contractors
Lists all DBE-certified firms eligible to do work in Illinois
Available on IDOT’s website (idot.Illinois.gov)
IDOT’s DBE certification process is part of the Illinois Unified Certification Program (UCP), where IDOT’s DBEs are also certified DBE firms for the City of Chicago and the three Chicago-area transit agencies.
The UCP Directory is a valuable resource used by prime consultants and contractors to find DBE-eligible subconsultants and subcontractors. Making sure your firm is up-to-date in the UCP Directory is an important part of earning more work and broadening potential opportunities with prime consultants and contractors.
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
Idot.Illinois.gov

4. Office of Business and Workforce Development
Beyond awarding contracts, IDOT supports our DBEs with other assistance programs.
Resource
Centers
Supportive Services
Assistance Programs
Annual Conference
IDOT’s Office of Business and Workforce Development (OBWD) hosts a variety of assistance programs for our DBEs, including Resource Centers, Supportive Services, Programs and Events, and the OBWD’s Annual Conference.
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
Idot.Illinois.gov

5. Resource Centers Located in each of IDOT’s nine highway districts
Provides access to Internet, computers, printers, and scanners for DBE firms
Also used as venues for Supportive Services events
Chicago-area Resource Centers:
2121 W. Taylor St., Chicago (open M-F 7:30am-3:30pm)
114 N. Orchard Dr., Park Forest (by appointment)
Other Resource Center locations listed at idot.Illinois.gov
IDOT has a Resource Center for our DBEs in each of our nine statewide highway districts, including two here in District 1. These resource centers allow certified DBEs to access the internet, computers, printers, and scanners as needed. They also serve as venues for many of our Supportive Services events.
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
Idot.Illinois.gov

6. Supportive Services Reimbursement Program
Partially reimburses DBEs for certain costs related to DBE-certified business development (professional membership costs, training, website development, financial audits, etc.)
Business development workshops
Over 100 offered annually statewide
Management assistance
Technical assistance
OBWD’s Supportive Services include a variety of offerings for DBEs, all free of charge. These include a reimbursement program for certain business development costs; business development workshops; management assistance; and technical assistance. More information about each of these can be found on our website.
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
Idot.Illinois.gov

7. Assistance Programs Business Development Program
Full business analysis; tailored targeted training that may be eligible for reimbursement; and a host of other opportunities to increase the competitiveness of the participants
Annual program open to a maximum of 15 firms
Mentor-Protégé Program
Centers on business collaborations between Mentor firms and Protégé firms (DBEs) to provide developmental assistance to enhance the Protégé’s business and technical capabilities to do more complex work
One-on-one Assistance
And more!
We also offer a variety of assistance programs, including a Business Development Program that’s open to up to fifteen firms a year; a mentor-protégé program which helps smaller firms learn from larger, more established firms; one-on-one assistance programs, and more.
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
Idot.Illinois.gov

8. Assistance Programs Highway Construction Careers Training Program
Held at 12 community colleges throughout the state to provide basic highway construction training skills.
Stipend for successful completion of the program.
While goal is to make project sites more diverse, two-fold goal of cultivating new generation of business owners in construction.
Last year, program graduated 284 participants and helped to place 136 in jobs.
I briefly want to highlight our Highway Construction Careers Training Program, which we initiated in collaboration with the Federal Highway Administration. The statewide program provides workers with basic highway construction training skills in an effort to make project sites more diverse and to cultivate a new generation of business owners in construction. Last year, we graduated 284 participants and helped place 136 of the graduates with jobs.
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
Idot.Illinois.gov

9. Annual Conference Today’s Challenge, Tomorrow’s Reward
Annually hosted by IDOT for nearly 30 years
Educational and skill building workshops
Best practices
Networking opportunities
Advance the firm’s skill set and knowledge to increase their competitiveness and opportunities for work on federally-funded highway contracts.
Our annual Today’s Challenge, Tomorrow’s Reward conference offers educational and skill building workshops focused on best practices for DBE firms throughout the state, along with networking opportunities to connect with other firms. The conference advances our DBEs’ skill sets and knowledge to increase their competitiveness and help create new opportunities for work on federally-funded highway contracts.
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
Idot.Illinois.gov

10. IDOT DBE Goals
While we’ve continued to expand the use of DBEs over the past few years, we continue to seek additional opportunities for DBE involvement.
Our current DBE goal is 18.7% for statewide DBE participation.
Note: DBE goals for individual projects are set on a project-by-project basis.
Our goal is the highest in the Midwest and the fourth-highest in the United States.
DBEs are an important part of our contracted work, and we continually seek to increase DBE participation statewide.
Our current statewide DBE goal is 18.7%. Individual projects will have their own DBE goals.
Our goal is the highest in the Midwest and the fourth-highest in the United States.
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
Idot.Illinois.gov

11. Rebuild Illinois First statewide capital bill in a decade
Transportation components funded by increased vehicle registration fees and increased gas tax
Gas tax now indexed to inflation
$45 billion in statewide infrastructure spending, including
$25.3 billion statewide for roads and bridges
$4.5 billion statewide for mass transit
$1.1 billion statewide for rail
$50 million statewide for pedestrian and cyclist facilities
With our highest-in-the-region DBE goal, now is the perfect time for Rebuild Illinois, our first statewide capital bill in a decade. Through increased registration fees and increasing the gas tax, we’re able to fund over $33 billion in new transportation infrastructure spending here in Illinois.
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
Idot.Illinois.gov

12. Get Involved Get certified as a DBE
Keep your firm’s prequalifications updated
Are there additional prequalifications you can pursue?
Take advantage of the programs offered by the Office of Business and Workforce Development
Resource Centers
Supportive Services
Networking Events
Now is the time for your firm to get involved and to get ready for this huge influx of work we have coming. If you haven’t done so already, get certified as a DBE, and check your firm’s prequalifications. Don’t forget that there may be additional prequalifications you can pursue as well! We want our DBE partners to succeed, so don’t forget to take advantage of our offerings, whether that’s at our resource centers or by participating with our supportive services, or even if it’s just attending a networking event. This is an exciting opportunity for all of us, and we want to make sure our DBE partners are putting their best foot forward.
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
Idot.Illinois.gov

13. NOME Leadership Summit – Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Diversity and Opportunity at IDOT
NOME Leadership Summit – Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Upcoming District 1 Events
2121 W. Taylor St., Chicago
RSVP: call
DBE Orientation Workshop – Tuesday, July 23, 10am
Best Accounting Practices Workshop – Wednesday, July 31, 10am
Thank you again for having me. Before I go, just wanted to let you all know that we do have two upcoming workshops at our Multi-Modal Resource Center on Taylor Street coming up before the end of the month if anyone is interested; for more information, call If you’re looking for more information on the services we offer, please visit the IDOT website at IDOT.Illinois.gov; and I’m happy to take your questions here today.
Paul Gregoire, P.E.
Bureau Chief of Construction, IDOT District 1
IDOT.Illinois.gov