Small Business Initiative

Program Goal

The Illinois Tollway Small Business Initiative is intended to increase opportunities for small construction companies to participate on Tollway construction contracts.

Program Overview

The initiative puts small businesses in a position to succeed and grow by:

  • Identifying select construction contracts, generally with values of approximately $5 million or less, specifically for small businesses to perform as prime contractors
  • Establishing Diversity Goals for select construction contracts on a project-by-project basis

Who Can Participate?

Firms must be registered with the State as a small business and meet the following criteria:

 

Approved Vendors

 

 

How to Get Involved

Firms must meet the qualification criteria and register within the Illinois Procurement Gateway as a small business in order to bid on Small Business Initiative Tollway contracts. More information on the state’s Small Business Set-Aside Program may be found on the Illinois Procurement Gateway at ipg.vendorreg.com.

Firms already registered as a small business with the Illinois Procurement Gateway may download the Tollway SBI application here and send it to this email address for review. Please attach a copy of your state’s Small Business Set-Aside Program registration email along with your Tollway SBI application.

Small Business Contract Tiers

Contracts within the Small Business Initiative shall be advertised on the Tollway’s bidding schedule in three categories as listed below.

Small Business Tier 1

  • Construction contracts with an engineers’ estimated dollar value of $1,000,000 or less
  • Prequalification from Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB) is not required.
  • Contracts will not include Diversity Goals*
  • Contracts may include Rolling Owners Construction Insurance Program (ROCIP).
  • Requires a self-performance goal of up to 40 percent, determined on a project-by project basis.
  • Prime contractors will be required to utilize only small businesses. 

Small Business Tier 2

  • Construction contracts with an engineers’ estimated dollar value between $1,000,001 and $3,000,000.
  • Prequalification from IDOT and CDB is not required unless otherwise stipulated by the Tollway in the specifications of the bid documents.
  • Contracts include Diversity goals. 
  • Contracts may include Rolling Owners Construction Insurance Program (ROCIP).
  • Requires a self-performance goal of up to 40 percent, determined on a project-by project basis.
  • Prime contractors will be required to utilize only small businesses.

Small Business Tier 3

  • Construction contracts with an engineers’ estimated dollar range between $3,000,001 and $5,000,000.
  • Prequalification from IDOT and CDB is not required unless otherwise stipulated by the Tollway in the specifications of the bid documents.
  • Contracts include Diversity goals. 
  • Contracts may include Rolling Owners Construction Insurance Program (ROCIP).
  • Requires a self-performance goal of up to 40 percent, determined on a project-by project basis.
  • Prime contractors will be required to utilize only small businesses.

*This is based on the State’s Small Business Set-Aside Program contract categories

Read the Special Provision for Small Business Initiative Program here.