MWVBE Support

Owner of CrumbCrusher holds a tray of baked goods inside the shop

The Village of Oak Park strives to be a welcoming community for business leaders from all communities and backgrounds. We value our business owners’ and community stakeholders’ perspectives on ways to create more opportunities for minority-owned, woman-owned, veteran-owned, LGBTQ+-owned and disabled-owned enterprises.  

There are several ways in which diverse business owners can enhance opportunities to grow their business:

  • Village of Oak Park Community Relations Program: The DEI Office enforces the Village's Human Rights Ordinance, encourages block organizing, community safety and multi-cultural training, mediates landlord/tenant and neighbor disputes and provides resident training in community outreach. The Community Relations Division of the DEI Office also manages the Village's film permit process. Click here to learn more.

  • Village of Oak Park Bid Opportunities: Under state law and local ordinance, all purchases of goods or materials that exceed $25,000 and any construction project exceeding $10,000 require formal procedures using bids/requests for proposals. Upon evaluation of the bids/proposals received, the Village Board must approve a contract with the awarded vendor. The local Prevailing Wage Ordinance may apply. Click here to learn more.

  • State of Illinois BEP Certification: The Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion’s (CEI) Business Enterprise Program (BEP) certification process underscores Illinois' unwavering dedication to fostering opportunities and inclusion for businesses owned by minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. This free certification enables your business to be featured in CEI’s public online directory, ensuring visibility amongst State procurement professionals and potential prime vendors. Click here to learn more.

  • State of Illinois VBP Certification: The Veterans Business Program (VBP) assists businesses owned by qualified service-disabled and veteran-owned businesses in gaining access to State of Illinois contracting opportunities and participating in the competitive procurement process. Click here to learn more.

  • LGBTBE Certification: The LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois is an organization focused on creating strategic alliances between buying members and certified LGBT Business Enterprises (LGBTBEs). Becoming a certified LGBT Business Enterprise is an exclusive way to qualify for inclusion in corporate supply chains. Click here to learn more.

  • SBA 8(a) Business Development Program: The federal Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) program can be a valuable tool for experienced socially and economically disadvantaged small business owners, who have already been in business for at least two years or more and are interested in expanding their footprint in the federal marketplace. Click here to learn more.

  • Cook County Business Enterprise Development: The mission of Business Enterprise Development is to increase the pool of qualified, diverse vendors who are in position to participate in Cook County contracting opportunities. The office strives to monitor and track all contracts to ensure compliance with the MWBE ordinance by promoting racial parity, contract diversity and continued transparency with industry best practices. Click here to learn more.
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