Illinois Tollway Establishes Diversity and Inclusion Committee

Submitted by the Illinois Tollway.

The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors today announced it has created a new committee to guide the development of policies and programs that will continue to encourage and support the agency’s inclusion efforts in contracting, procurement of goods and services and workforce diversity.

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee will work to expand and increase the effectiveness of current Tollway efforts to offer small and veteran-owned firms and disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned businesses opportunities to compete for agency contracts and encourage all firms the agency does business with to hire more diverse workforces.

“Establishing this new committee demonstrates the Illinois Tollway’s strong commitment to provide equal opportunities for all companies and workers who want to take part in the Move Illinois Capital Program or do business with our agency,” said Illinois Tollway Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom. “Our focus is to have an even broader network of contractors and subcontractors with workforces that are as diverse as the communities we serve in Northern Illinois.”

The committee will evaluate and review policies and programs to further the Tollway’s efforts to be as inclusive as possible in contracting and the procurement of goods and services, while also fostering increased workforce diversity for the agency and firms working for the Tollway. Committee members will advise the Tollway Board on the status of the agency’s diversity initiatives and programs and workforce development efforts, as well as partnerships with industry, government and advocacy agencies.

In addition to forming the new committee, the Illinois Tollway also is inviting advocacy and business organizations to serve on a new Diversity Advisory Council that will work cooperatively with the Diversity and Inclusion Committee to help determine the best methods for providing more disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned businesses with opportunities to participate in Tollway projects.

“The Illinois Tollway wants to engage a wide variety of organizations to learn from their experiences and expertise to ensure our diversity initiatives continue to operate fairly and effectively, as well as grow to meet the needs and reflect the diversity of the communities we serve,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Greg Bedalov. “We strive to include a range of diverse businesses and workers in our contracts whenever we possibly can.”

The Illinois Tollway created the Department of Diversity and Strategic Development in 2011 to promote, assist and ensure diverse participation in all aspects of Tollway operations, including contracting, consulting and the supply of goods and services. The culmination of these efforts is to level the playing field for businesses of all sizes and types to participate in the Tollway 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.

The department has led the agency’s efforts to diversify and expand the pool of firms and individuals doing business with the Illinois Tollway. In addition to organizing networking events for construction and professional services firms, the Tollway is providing long-term technical assistance programs for small, minority- and women-owned construction firms in partnership with the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce and the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association.

The Tollway has expanded opportunities for veteran-owned small businesses to do business with the Tollway through the agency’s Mentor/Protégé Program, which encourages prime consultants to provide meaningful instruction, technical assistance and beneficial resources to protégé firms. In addition, The Tollway offers contractors and subcontractors a chance to earn bid credits toward future Tollway construction buds when they hire workers from a pool of qualified pre-screened candidates that includes underemployed minorities, women, veterans and eligible offenders and exonerated individuals.

The Tollway’s efforts resulted in nearly $609 million being paid in construction and professional services contracts to disadvantaged, minority- or women-owned businesses since January 2010 – or about 23 percent of the total $2.7 billion paid for those contracts during that time. That total includes paying about $344 million on construction contracts, or about 18.4 percent of the total amount paid, and about $265 million on professional services contracts, or about 33.6 percent of the total amount paid.