Business Diversity

Business Diversity Program

The Procurement Department is responsible for managing the Authority’s Business Diversity Program. MPEA is committed to providing equal access to potential business opportunities to minority and women-owned businesses. It is our goal to ensure the utilization of minority and women-owned businesses to the maximum extent possible. The Business Diversity Program is an integral part of our procurement process. Our facilities are located within a diverse community and we seek to ensure that our vendor pool and workforce reflect the environment in which we operate.

Outreach

The Procurement Department through its Business Diversity Program participates in a number of outreach events to promote our upcoming procurement opportunities within the minority and women-owned business community. To view a list of events that we are scheduled to participate in, please click here. In addition, there are various organizations that provide assistance to businesses to help them grow. This includes everything from developing a business plan to securing a small business loan. For your convenience, we have provided links to their websites on our Useful Links list below.

 

For more information about our Business Diversity Program, contact:

Business Diversity Program Manager

Procurement Department

Tiffany Wright
(312) 791-6333
twright@mpea.com

Contract Compliance

The Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority (MPEA) encourages minority and women-owned businesses to participate in our procurement process. MPEA is committed to including a diverse pool of vendors in our supplier base. We have participation goals of twenty-five percent for minority-owned businesses (MBE) and five percent for women-owned businesses (WBE). MPEA achieves its goals through direct awards and subcontracting. Interested firms should view our Current and Upcoming Bid Opportunities pages for announcements in your area of expertise. To ensure that you are directly notified of opportunities, please complete our Vendor Registration Form.

In order to participate in our Business Diversity Program, firms must be certified as minority or women owned businesses. MPEA does not certify. Firms must be certified by one of the five entities from which we accept certifications. Currently we accept certifications from the City of Chicago, Cook County Government, the State of Illinois Department of Central Management Services, Chicago Minority Business Development Council, and the Women’s Business Development Council. If you are interested in becoming certified by one of these entities, please contact them directly. For your convenience, links to their websites are on our Useful Links page.

Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority is pleased to provide our Business Diversity Compliance Management System. This web-based software system replaces cumbersome paper reporting processes with a streamlined online process to help facilitate compliance reporting requirements for firms doing business with Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority.

Vendors can log into their accounts below.

Compliance Management System

Procurement Laws and Regulations

The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) believes that the maintenance of high ethical standards is essential to the continued success of its business in a highly competitive market. It is therefore the policy of the Authority to comply with all laws which pertain to its business activities and to conduct its affairs ethically and responsibly. This commitment extends to MPEA’s interactions with its vendors and potential vendors.

MPEA’s vendor relationships are generally governed by the following laws and regulations:

  • Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority Act, as amended by Public Acts 096-0898 and 096-0899, 70 ILCS 210/1-28
  • Chicago Municipal Code 2-156-445 Limitation of contributing to candidates and elected officials.
  • Chicago Municipal Code 2-156-520 Access to list of current contractors.

All MPEA vendors and potential vendors are expected to conduct their affairs with MPEA in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

If you have a concern or a question pertaining to these laws, regulations or policies, please contact the MPEA Procurement Department at mpeaprocurement@mpea.com.

Contract Compliance Documents

Minority and Women Business Enterprise Schedules

Please complete the attached schedules ONLY if you are responding to the Minority and Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE ) Special Conditions Section of your bid package. Please complete all forms applicable to your business needs. If you need additional assistance, please feel free to contact our Business Diversity Program Coordinator

Required Form I: (Special Conditions Regarding Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises)

Schedule A: (Affidavit of Bidder/Proposer Regarding MBE/WBE Commitments)
Schedule B: (Letter of Intent to Perform as a MBE/WBE Firm)
Schedule C: (Joint Venture Affidavit)
Schedule D: (Certification of M/WBE Unavailability)

Useful Links

Accepted Certifying Agencies

MPEA does not certify firms, however we accept the current certifications of other agencies whose policies and procedures are consistent with our requirements. We currently accept certifications from the following agencies:

City of Chicago, Department of Procurement Services
Chicago Minority Business Development Council(CMBDC)
County of Cook
Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC)
State of Illinois, Central Management Services
Useful Links

 

 

MPEA Contractor Loan Program

As part of our commitment to business diversity, in 2019 MPEA, in partnership with Wintrust Bank, launched the MPEA Contractor Loan Program. The purpose of MPEA Contractor Loan Program is to grow the capacity of diverse businesses, contractors and suppliers of MPEA. MPEA defines diverse businesses as certified ethnic minority or women owned.

MPEA and Wintrust recognize that many small and diverse businesses frequently have difficulty securing working capital to grow their capacity and increase their competitiveness. These financial barriers could make larger corporate projects inaccessible to significant numbers of diverse small and medium sized businesses, despite their competency to meet high industry standards. We also recognize cash flow can be a challenge, especially during times of growth. MPEA Contractor Loan Program was created to help diverse suppliers by providing access to short-term lines of credit.

Eligible applicants must be a certified MBE or WBE, have an active contract with MPEA, and have been in business for two years. To apply for the program, please contact Miguel Gomez at mgomez@wintrust.com or (312) 985-5088.

Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
301 East Cermak Road • Chicago, IL 60616 • (312) 791-7500

©2017 – 2021 MPEA

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Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority