Heads up
Verify DBE status carefully right now: under the USDOT Interim Final Rule issued October 3, 2025, existing DBE and ACDBE certifications are being re-evaluated and may not be counted toward contract goals until a firm is recertified. Confirm a firm's current status before relying on it.
Illinois state directories
Start with the official state directory. It lists firms Illinois has certified, and it is the source public buyers and prime contractors use to confirm a firm counts toward state and federally funded contract goals.
Illinois CEI Certified Vendor Directory (BEP)
The Commission on Equity and Inclusion's Supplier Diversity Management Portal hosts the public directory of firms certified under the Business Enterprise Program as minority-owned, women-owned, or owned by persons with disabilities.
Open the directory ↗IL UCP DBE Directory
The Illinois Department of Transportation's UCP search covers DBE and ACDBE firms, filterable by specialty, NAICS code, category, and district. Firms shown as certified have been recertified under the current federal regulations.
Open the directory ↗Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council
The regional National Minority Supplier Development Council affiliate serving Illinois. Corporate buyers source certified Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) through its network.
Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council ↗Federal set-aside firms in Illinois
For federal contracts and subcontracting plans, search SAM.gov and filter by location and socioeconomic status: 8(a), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned (SDVOSB), and HUBZone. These are separate from the state and council certifications above, and buyers count them differently.
Verify before you rely on a certification
A certificate on its own is not proof. Before you count a Illinois supplier toward a diverse spend goal or a subcontracting plan:
- Confirm the record is active, not expired, in the issuing directory above.
- Check the certification type matches what your program counts. MBE, DBE, WOSB, and CBE are not interchangeable.
- Keep a dated screenshot or export of the directory record for your compliance file.
More Illinois resources
- Illinois certification and contracting programs on SupplierDiversity.com.
- The national directories (NMSDC, WBENC, NGLCC, Disability:IN, NaVOBA) for suppliers certified outside Illinois.
- Every certifying body, what it certifies, and how to verify.