State of Illinois Certification: 2nd of 3-Part Series Fast Track and Recognition Certification – Session 2

The Illinois Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) at Bradley University is offering these educational opportunities, in collaboration with the Central Management Services, to enhance participation in the State of Illinois Business Enterprise Program and Veteran Business Program. The Illinois PTAC is supporting the Central Management Services to increase the number of certified vendor pools in the Business Enterprise Program. The Business Enterprise Program (BEP) for Minority, Women-Owned, and Persons with disabilities (M/W/PBE) and the Veteran Business Program (VBP) expands minority, women, persons with disabilities, veterans and service-disabled veteran entrepreneurs' opportunities to access government contracts and grow their businesses. When eligible companies are certified with the State of Illinois, they become more visible to prospective buyers, including other agencies and private contractors seeking to purchase goods and services. These No-Fee sessions will take you through three phases of status in the certification program and you are invited to participate in any or all of the events. The development of a new Fast Track Certification application is to leverage vendors currently certified with the City of Chicago and Cook County. The Recognition Application is the result of agreements that the Business Enterprise Program and Veteran Business Program have with other certifying agencies and offer a streamlined certification process for businesses currently certified by any of the following entities: • Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) • Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) • METRA • PACE • Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council • Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council • Women's Business Development Center • Cook County (Veteran/Services-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise) • United States Department of Veteran Affairs Center for Verification and Evaluations (CVE) VOSB/SDVOSB This session will discuss the BEP requirements if you are certified by one of the above certifying agencies including the documentation from these agencies. We will discuss how to complete the application as well as any difference in the term of the certification.