Minimum Equity Standard
Each Program Year in Illinois Shines, the project workforce* of each participating Approved Vendor and Designee must meet a required minimum percentage of Equity Eligible Persons (EEPs), with this required percentage increasing to 30% by 2030. Compliance with the Minimum Equity Standard is demonstrated and reported by Program participants through the MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report. The MES requirement for the 2026-27 Program Year is 14% of an entity’s Illinois-based, Illinois Shines project workforce consisting of EEPs. Future Program Years’ percentages are determined by the IPA and presented through updates to the Long-Term Plan.
This page provides key definitions, reporting dates, helpful resources, and links to reporting forms, templates, previous webinars and FAQs . All current Approved Vendors and Designees are strongly encouraged to review the materials to ensure comprehension and compliance with Program requirements related to equity.
For purposes of the MES requirement, “project workforce” is defined as employees, contractors and their employees, and subcontractors and their employees, whose job duties are directly required by or substantially related to the development, construction, and operation of a project that is participating in or intended to participate in the IPA-administered programs and procurements under Section 1-75(c) of the IPA Act. This shall include both project installation workforce and workforce in administrative, sales, marketing, and technical roles where those workers’ duties are performed in Illinois. If a worker is physically working outside of Illinois, they do not count towards the project workforce, even if they are doing work on Illinois Shines projects. However, if that worker is physically in the state of Illinois to perform their duties, they would count towards the project workforce. For purposes of this definition, ‘directly required by or substantially related to’ shall be construed to be any direct employee of the Approved Vendor, Designee, or any contractor and its employees whose contract exceeds 5% of the REC Contract value. Employees of contractors below that threshold may be counted on a voluntary basis, but if the Approved Vendor or Designee includes at least one such contractor whose contract is less than 5% of the REC Contract value, then all contractors below the threshold must be included.
AVs and Designees submit MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report
Shows compliance for the previous Program Year and intent to comply in the upcoming Program Year.
Program Administrator reviews Combined MES Reports
AVs and Designees submit MES Mid-Year Reports
Describes progress towards meeting the MES during the current Program Year.
Starting in Spring 2026, MES Compliance Plans and MES Year-End Reports will be consolidated into one report due on July 15th of each Program Year. This MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report streamlines the MES reporting process. Existing Approved Vendors and Designees are required to file an MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report after a Program Year concludes and an MES Mid-Year Report mid-way through the Program Year.
Entities who fail to meet the MES or who failed to comply with reporting requirements risk suspension and the inability to continue participating in the Program. Entities may be required to enter into a Corrective Action Plan within 15 business days of receipt of a notice of potential violation (NOPV), and are suspended from participation in the Illinois Shines program until compliance with the MES is met.
MES Resources:
- Guide to the Equity Accountability System & Illinois Shines
- Equity Eligible Person (EEP) Attestation
- Minimum Equity Standard Waiver Request– published March 10, 2023 (and updated June 2, 2025)
- Minimum Equity Standard Waiver Request (Questions Template for Reference)
- Minimum Equity Standard Waiver Rationale– published March 17, 2023
- Energy Workforce Equity Portal
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Program Year 2026-27
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Program Year 2025-26
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Program Year 2024-25
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Program Year 2023-24
MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report questions sample (Released April 17, 2026)Equity Eligible Contractor MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report questions sample (Released April 17, 2026)Program Year 2026-27 MES Mid-Year Report for Illinois Shines questions sample (Released April 17, 2026)MES Compliance Plan for Illinois Shines for New Entities questions sample (Released April 17, 2026)
MES Compliance Plan for New Entities
Program Year 2025-26 MES Compliance Plan questions sample
Program Year 2025-26 MES Mid-Year Report questions sample
Program Year 2025-26 MES Mid-Year Report submission form (Due December 31, 2025)
MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report questions sample (Released April 17, 2026)Equity Eligible Contractor MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report questions sample (Released April 17, 2026)
Program Year 2024-25 MES Compliance Plan questions sample
Program Year 2024-25 MES Compliance Plan submission form
Program Year 2024-25 MES Mid-Year Report submission form (Due December 31, 2024)
Program Year 2024-25 MES Year-End Report questions sample (Updated May 5, 2025)
Program Year 2024-25 MES Year-End Report questions sample for Equity Eligible Contractors (Updated May 5, 2025)
Program Year 2024-25 MES Year-End Report Implementation Report (November 14, 2025)
Program Year 2023-24 MES Compliance Plan submission form
Program Year 2023-24 MES Compliance Plan questions sample
Program Year 2023-24 Minimum Equity Standard Waiver Request
Program Year 2023-24 MES Mid-Year Report Submission Form (Due December 31, 2023)
Program Year 2023-24 MES Year-End Report Draft Template (April 11, 2024)
Program Year 2023-24 MES Year-End Report form
*Equity Eligible Contractors (EECs) are considered in full compliance with the Minimum Equity Standard and need not submit a MES Compliance Plan nor a Mid-Year Report. However, EEC AVs and Designees must annually submit a MES Year-End Report, which includes workforce demographic data required to be submitted to the Program each year. EEC Subcontractors are exempt from submitting MES Compliance Plans, Mid-Year Reports, and Year-End Reports but must provide their AVs and/or Designees with their project workforce demographics data for the relevant Program Year
Does your company employ EEPs?
Direct EEPs in your project workforce to register in IPA’s Energy Workforce Equity Portal. While this is not a requirement, having your EEPs registered in the Portal may provide an easier route to compliance with the MES. In your MES Year-End Report, you will simply need to provide the full names of your EEPs for the Program Administrator to verify their registration in the Portal.
Are you looking for EEPs to hire to meet the MES?
Register as a Clean Energy Company in IPA’s Energy Workforce Equity Portal! Companies registered in the Portal are able to advertise clean energy jobs to registered EEPs, as well as search for EEPs who are seeking employment.
Webinars
In Program Year 2022-2023, the Agency and Program Administrator presented three webinars on the Equity Accountability System and Illinois Shines, held on October 4, 2022, November 15, 2022, and March 13, 2023. Subsequent webinars have been held on March 6, 2024, and April 15, 2025. Recordings of the webinars, presentation slides, and Q&A from each webinar, can be found on the Program Year Webinars page. All current Approved Vendors and Designees have been and are strongly encouraged to review the materials to ensure comprehension and compliance with Program requirements related to equity.