The Minimum Equity Standard (MES) Program Year 2024-25 Year-End Report has opened for submissions today and is due from all participating Approved Vendors and Designees on July 15, 2025. All Program participants should have received an email from the Program Administrator with a link to their secure MES submission portal. Please use the link within the email to complete your MES Compliance Plan. If you do not see the email, please reach out to the Program Administrator at [email protected].
The MES Year-End Report is intended for your organization to document how it implemented and achieved compliance with the Minimum Equity Standard. For this Program Year 2024-25 report, the MES requirement is 10% of the project workforce for each entity participating in Illinois Shines must be made up of Equity Eligible Persons (EEPs). With the exception of Equity Eligible Contractors (EECs), all Approved Vendors (AVs) and Designees who participated in Illinois Shines in the 2024-25 Program Year are required to comply with this requirement. A template displaying the Year-End Report’s questions can be viewed here. Required data and information include:
- Approved Vendor and Designee Information
- Project workforce total
- Project workforce demographic information
- Equity Eligible Person (EEP) workforce totals and demographic information, including proof of EEP eligibility and any supporting documentation for any EEPs not registered in IPA’s Energy Workforce Equity Portal
- Description of outreach efforts employed by the Approved Vendor or Designee to recruit EEPs
- Job training program graduate hiring data, Illinois-based workforce diversity data
Failure to submit an MES Year-End Report by the July 15, 2025 deadline will result in escalation to the Program Administrator’s Consumer Protection Team consistent with Sections X.C-D of the Consumer Protection Handbook. Failure to comply may risk future good standing in the Program and may result in disciplinary action.
Key Dates
- April 29. 2025 – MES Compliance Plan for next Program Year (2025-26) opened for submissions
- May 30, 2025 – MES Year-End Report for Program Year 2024-25 opens for submissions
- May 30, 2025 – Conclusion of the 2024-25 Program Year
- June 2, 2025 – Deadline for submission of MES Compliance Plan for Program Year 2025-26
- July 15, 2025– Deadline for submission of MES Year-End Report for Program Year 2024-25
Additional Resources
- Additional resources on the MES and the Equity Accountability System can be found here: https://illinoisshines.com/equity-accountability-system-hub/, or in the April 24, 2025 Program Announcement here: https://illinoisshines.com/resources-and-guidance-for-preparing-to-submit-a-minimum-equity-standard-mes-year-end-report/
- On April 15, 2025 the Program presented an MES Compliance Webinar. A recording, presentation slides, and a Q&A document are available for review.
- For any questions related to the MES Year-End Report, please reach out to [email protected].
Thank you!
Illinois Shines Program
[email protected]