As described in the Draft 2026-27 Program Guidebook, beginning June 1, 2026, all Equity Eligible Contractor (EEC) Approved Vendors (AVs) and Designees will be required to meet the Minimum Equity Standard (MES). During the upcoming reporting window, the Program is requesting data from EECs on their 2026-27 project workforce. For the current 2025-26 Program Year, ending May 31, 2026, EECs are not required to comply with the MES requirement. The Program Administrator is preparing comprehensive resources to support EECs navigating the MES for the first time.
This email contains details on key dates and deadlines, an invitation to our upcoming MES webinar, requirements of the MES Compliance Plan, consequences for failing to meet the MES, and the process to request a waiver from required MES compliance. Please note that as an EEC, you may also be on the general Program mailing list, which will receive a different MES announcement.
As the close of 2025-26 Program Year approaches, EEC AVs and Designees will need to begin preparing for the MES data and reporting requirements. The EEC MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report is due on July 15, 2026, and contains two sections:
- The EEC Year-End Report looks backward, capturing details on an organization’s project workforce for the year. EECs do not need to show compliance with the MES for the 2025-26 Program Year, as the MES requirement for EECs begins in Program Year 2026-27.
- The MES Compliance Plan is forward-looking and captures how an organization intends to comply with the MES requirement in the 2026-27 Program Year.
For the 2026-27 Program Year, the MES requires that at least 14% of the project workforce for each entity participating in the Illinois Shines program be composed of Equity Eligible Persons (EEPs). More information about the MES is available at the MES page on the Program Website.
Key Dates for MES compliance:
- April 15, 2026 – MES Compliance Webinar (more information below)
- May 2026 – EEC MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report opens for submissions; program participants will be notified by the Program Administrator via email when the submission form becomes available.
- May 31, 2026 – Conclusion of the 2025-26 Program Year
- July 15, 2026 – Submission deadline for EEC MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report
MES Compliance Webinar – April 15, 2026
To ensure compliance and prepare for the upcoming MES reporting season, Illinois Shines EEC AVs and Designees are invited to join the Program’s upcoming MES Compliance Webinar on Wednesday, April 15 at 12:00 p.m. CPT. This webinar will provide guidance on preparing and submitting the MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report, including specific information for EECs who will be required to meet the MES starting in Program Year 2026-27. Register for the webinar here: https://energy-solution.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_V872nqAiSrWMOEsLXzu4JQ.
EEC Year-End ReportRequirements
In the EEC Combined Compliance and Year-End Report, EECs must report their business’ workforce and demographic information during their participation in the Program for the 2025-26 Program Year. Required data and information include:
- Illinois-based project workforce total (as defined in the MES section of the Program Guidebook)
- Illinois-based project workforce demographic information
- Business type
- Majority-owner demographic information
- Job training program graduate hiring data and Illinois-based workforce diversity data
In future Combined Compliance and Year-End Reports, EECs will be required to document their organization’s compliance with the MES for the given Program Year, providing documentation on outreach efforts to recruit EEPs and on the number of EEPs in its Illinois-based project workforce. A template for this year’s MES Year-End Report can be viewed in Appendix G of the Draft Program Guidebook as EECs begin planning for future compliance.
AVs and Designees are encouraged to begin gathering information needed to complete the MES Year-End Report ahead of time, including encouraging EEPs in their project workforce to register in the IPA’s Energy Workforce Equity Portal. In the MES Year-End Report, AVs and Designees will be required to provide the full names of individuals in their project workforce who qualify as EEPs, and the Program Administrator will verify their qualifications as part of the review process. While it is not a requirement to have EEPs register using the Energy Workforce Equity Portal, this might provide an easier route to compliance with the MES. If your organization’s EEPs are NOT registered in the Energy Workforce Equity Portal, your organization will be required to collect signed EEP attestations and to provide documentation for those individuals’ EEP qualifications to submit to the Program Administrator.
EEC MES Compliance Plan
In the EEC Combined Compliance and Year-End Report due on July 15, EECs will be required to describe their organization’s plan to achieve compliance with the 2026-27 Program Year MES requirement that at least 14% of the project workforce for each entity participating in the Illinois Shines program must be composed of EEPs. Information collected in this portion of the report includes:
- A statement of intent to comply with equity accountability standards for the Program Year
- Projected project workforce total (as defined in the MES section of the Program Guidebook)
- An estimate of the number of EEPs currently in your Illinois-based Illinois Shines project workforce
- Number of EEPs your organization seeks to hire to meet MES Compliance over the Program Year
- Communication plan for local outreach to increase the utilization of EEPs
Consequences of Failure to Submit
If the AV or Designee fails to comply with reporting requirements, the AV or Designee will be suspended and unable to continue participating in the Program. The AV or Designee may be required to enter into a Corrective Action Plan to achieve compliance. An AV or Designee may have their suspension lifted and may participate in the Program once they have achieved the requirements of their Corrective Action Plan.
Next Steps
- Register for and attend the April 15, 2026, MES Compliance webinar
- Gather all project workforce data and documentation for the EEC MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report
- The Program Administrator will open the EEC MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report submission form by the end of May. Participating entities will receive an email from the Program Administrator with a link to their secure submission form. All Reports are due on July 15.
- Additional resources on the MES and the Equity Accountability System can be found on the Equity Accountability System page of the Program website.
- For any questions related to the EEC MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report, please reach out to [email protected].
- The EEC Sector Strategist, Conner Rettig, is also available to support EECs as they work towards meeting the MES for the first time. Conner can be reached at [email protected].
Thank you!
Illinois Shines Program
[email protected]