June 13, 2019
The State of Illinois has developed and promotes a Business Enterprise Program (BEP) that encourages State agencies, such as IMSA, to provide opportunities to promote and encourage the continuing economic development of minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned and disadvantaged-owned business. An aspirational goal of 20% is assigned to each State agency meaning 20% of our purchasing spend should be spent with one or more of these diverse classifications of vendors. I’m pleased to say that of all the State Universities, IMSA has succeeded at partnering and meeting our goal with these important business partners. When IMSA meets these goals it reflects positively on the institution when these accomplishments get reported yearly to the Governor’s office.
As you seek out vendors to conduct business with, BEP vendors offer great opportunity to us and become important partners in our business relationships. If you have difficulty finding a BEP vendor to seek quotes from, please contact me for assistance.
