Affirmative Action
The purpose of the MWRD’s Affirmative Action Program is to mitigate the present effects of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, or sex in opportunities to participate on the MWRD’s contracts and to achieve equitable utilization of M/W/VBEs on the MWRD's contracts.
The mission is to ensure competitive and equal opportunities for minority-owned, women-owned and veteran-owned business enterprises in the award and performance of MWRD contracts.
Views from the MWRD's 2024 Diverse Business Summit
What Does The Diversity Section Do?
Certification
The Diversity Section certifies for-profit business entities as Minority-Owned (MBE); Women-Owned (WBE); and Veteran-Owned.
In an effort to streamline the bidding and award process, vendors can apply for certification throughout the year. To initiate the process, complete the vendor application and indicate that you are a minority, woman or veteran-owned business.
We currently accept the City of Chicago and Cook County certifications. Vendors that currently have an M/W/VBE certification issued within the last two (2) years of submittal from the City of Chicago or Cook County will be able to participate in an abbreviated certification process. Supplemental documents will be required depending upon the certifying agency. To learn more about these requirements, click the appropriate link below:
City of Chicago Certification Document Requirements
Cook County Certification Document Requirements
New Vendor Certification
If your firm is LGBT-owned, please complete the following survey:
If your firm is owned by person with a disability, please complete the following survey:
Contract Goals
The Diversity Section sets MBE, WBE and VBE contract goals on MWRD construction and professional services contracts.
Contract Compliance
The Diversity Section also monitors MWRD contracts with affirmative action goals to ensure that the MBE, WBE and VBE vendors are being compensated for work performed on MWRD contracts.
Outreach
The Diversity Section conducts outreach to promote our program and to support our vendors in the growth of their businesses.
Steps for Doing Business with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD):
1. All vendors should monitor the Contract Announcements section of this website for new opportunities to bid on MWRD contracts or RFPs as a prime contractor / consultant or to prepare scopes of work and prices for subcontract opportunities.
2. Prospective bidders may download Invitation to Bid, Bidding Documents, Additional Documents, Addenda, and Plan Holder Lists on the Contract Announcements page as applicable for each contract currently being advertised. No fee is required for contract or RFP documents. Any questions regarding the downloading of such documents should be directed to contractdesk@mwrd.org or call (312) 751-6643. Note: If the link for Contract Announcements is not working properly, please use the following path: www.mwrd.org (DOING BUSINESS > PROCUREMENT & MATERIALS MANAGEMENT > CONTRACT ANNOUNCEMENTS). Instructions on how to electronically submit bids will be included in the Invitation to Bid, and further detailed in the full contract documents.
3. Subcontractors should contact plan holders directly to pursue subcontract opportunities with potential bidders.