The Illinois Tollway Authority is hosting a workshop in Chicago today to encourage small, diverse, and veteran-owned businesses to enter the realm of government contracting. In addition to sharing the Tollway’s annual buying plans, the workshop will offer general guidance on government procurement processes. Several other state agencies will participate.
“‘Entrepreneurs will be able to talk face-to-face with agency experts about the steps they can take to better compete for state contracts,’” Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse said. “‘This event is part of the Tollway’s efforts to broaden our pool of contractors . . . so our contractors more closely reflect the diverse communities we serve across Northern Illinois.”
TRN notes, the Tollway announced in September that its Partnering for Growth mentorship program for disadvantaged, minority, and women-owned business enterprise (D/M/WBE) firms and veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) has surpassed 260 mentorship agreements.