20 ILCS 730/5-55

(20 ILCS 730/5-55)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)

Sec. 5-55. Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program.

(a) As used in this Section:

"Approved vendor" means the definition of that term used and as may be updated by the Illinois Power Agency.

"Minority business" means a minority-owned business as defined in Section 2 of the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with Disabilities Act.

"Minority Business Enterprise certification" means the certification or recognition certification affidavit from the Commission on Equity and Inclusion's Business Enterprise Program or a program with equivalent requirements.

"Program" means the Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program.

"Returning resident" has the meaning given to that term in Section 5-50 of this Act.

(b) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall develop, and through a Primes Program Administrator and Regional Primes Program Leads described in this Section, administer the Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program. The Program shall be administered in 3 program delivery areas: the Northern Illinois Program Delivery Area covering Northern Illinois, the Central Illinois Program Delivery Area covering Central Illinois, and the Southern Illinois Program Delivery Area covering Southern Illinois. Prior to developing the Program, the Department shall solicit public comments, with a 30-day comment period, to gather input on Program implementation and associated community outreach options.

(c) The Program shall be available to selected contractors who best meet the following criteria:

(1) 2 or more years of experience in a clean energy or a related contracting field;

(2) at least $5,000 in annual business; and

(3) a substantial and demonstrated commitment of investing in and partnering with individuals and institutions in equity investment eligible communities.

(c-5) The Department shall develop scoring criteria to select contractors for the Program, which shall consider:

(1) projected hiring and industry job creation, including wage and benefit expectations;

(2) a clear vision of strategic business growth and how increased capitalization would benefit the business;

(3) past project work quality and demonstration of technical knowledge;

(4) capacity the applicant is anticipated to bring to project development;

(5) willingness to assume risk;

(6) anticipated revenues from future projects;

(7) history of commitment to advancing equity as demonstrated by, among other things, employment of or ownership by equity investment eligible persons and a history of partnership with equity focused community organizations or government programs; and

(8) business models that build wealth in the larger underserved community.

Applicants for Program participation shall be allowed to reapply for a future cohort if they are not selected, and the Primes Program Administrator shall inform each applicant of this option.

(d) The Department, in consultation with the Primes Program Administrator and Regional Primes Program Leads, shall select a new cohort of participant contractors from each Program Delivery Area every 18 months. Each regional cohort shall include between 3 and 5 participants. The Program shall cap contractors in the energy efficiency sector at 50% of available cohort spots and 50% of available grants and loans, if possible.

(e) The Department shall hire a Primes Program Administrator with experience in leading a large contractor-based business in Illinois; coaching and mentoring; the Illinois clean energy industry; and working with equity investment eligible community members, organizations, and businesses.

(f) The Department shall select 3 Regional Primes Program Leads who shall report directly to the Primes Program Administrator. The Regional Primes Program Leads shall be located within their Program Delivery Area and have experience in leading a large contractor-based business in Illinois; coaching and mentoring; the Illinois clean energy industry; developing relationships with companies in the Program Delivery Area; and working with equity investment eligible community members, organizations, and businesses.

(g) The Department may determine how Program elements will be delivered or may contract with organizations with experience delivering the Program elements described in subsection (h) of this Section.

(h) The Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program shall provide participants with:

(1) a 5-year, 6-month progressive course of one-on-one coaching to assist each participant in developing an achievable 5-year business plan, including review of monthly metrics, and advice on achieving participant's goals;

(2) operational support grants not to exceed $1,000,000 annually to support the growth of participant contractors with access to capital for upfront project costs and pre-development funding, among others. The amount of the grant shall be based on anticipated project size and scope;

(3) business coaching based on the participant's needs;

(4) a mentorship of approximately 2 years provided by a qualified company in the participant's field;

(5) access to Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program services;

(6) assistance with applying for Minority Business Enterprise certification and other relevant certifications and approved vendor status for programs offered by utilities or other entities;

(7) assistance with preparing bids and Request for Proposal applications;

(8) opportunities to be listed in any relevant directories and databases organized by the Commission on Equity and Inclusion;

(9) opportunities to connect with participants in other Department programs;

(10) assistance connecting with and initiating participation in the Illinois Power Agency's Adjustable Block program, the Illinois Solar for All Program, and utility programs; and

(11) financial development assistance programs such as zero-interest and low-interest loans with the Climate Bank as established by Article 850 of the Illinois Finance Authority Act or a comparable financing mechanism. The Illinois Finance Authority shall retain authority to determine loan repayment terms and conditions.

(i) The Primes Program Administrator shall:

(1) collect and report performance metrics as described in this Section;

(2) review and assess:

(i) participant work plans and annual goals; and

(ii) the mentorship program, including approved mentor companies and their stipend awards; and

(3) work with the Regional Primes Program Leads to publicize the Program; design and implement a mentorship program; and ensure participants are quickly on-boarded.

(j) The Regional Primes Program Leads shall:

(1) publicize the Program; the budget shall include funds to pay community-based organizations with a track record of working with equity investment eligible communities to complete this work;

(2) recruit qualified Program applicants;

(3) assist Program applicants with the application process;

(4) introduce participants to the Program offerings;

(5) conduct entry and annual assessments with participants to identify training, coaching, and other Program service needs;

(6) assist participants in developing goals on entry and annually, and assessing progress toward meeting the goals;

(7) establish a metric reporting system with each participant and track the metrics for progress against the contractor's work plan and Program goals;

(8) assist participants in receiving their Minority Business Enterprise certification and any other relevant certifications and approved vendor statuses;

(9) match participants with Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program offerings and individualized expert coaching, including training on working with returning residents and companies that employ them;

(10) pair participants with a mentor company;

(11) facilitate connections between participants and potential subcontractors and employees;

(12) dispense a participant's awarded operational grant funding;

(13) connect participants to zero-interest and low-interest loans from the Climate Bank as established by Article 850 of the Illinois Finance Authority Act or a comparable financing mechanism;

(14) encourage participants to apply for appropriate State and private business opportunities;

(15) review a participant's progress and make a recommendation to the Department about whether the participant should continue in the Program, be considered a Program graduate, and whether adjustments should be made to a participant's grant funding, loans, and related services;

(16) solicit information from participants, which participants shall be required to provide, necessary to understand the participant's business, including financial and income information, certifications that the participant is seeking to obtain, and ownership, employee, and subcontractor data, including compensation, length of service, and demographics; and

(17) other duties as required.

(k) Performance metrics. The Primes Program Administrator and Regional Primes Program Leads shall collaborate to collect and report the following metrics quarterly to the Department and Advisory Council:

(1) demographic information on cohort recruiting and formation, including racial, gender, geographic distribution data, and data on the number and percentage of R3 residents, environmental justice community residents, foster care alumni, and formerly convicted persons who are cohort applicants and admitted participants;

(2) participant contractor engagement in other Illinois clean energy programs such as the Adjustable Block program, Illinois Solar for All Program, and the utility-run energy efficiency and electric vehicle programs;

(3) retention of participants in each cohort;

(4) total projects bid, started, and completed by participants, including information about revenue, hiring, and subcontractor relationships with projects;

(5) certifications issued;

(6) employment data for contractor hires and industry jobs created, including demographic, salary, length of service, and geographic data;

(7) grants and loans distributed; and

(8) participant satisfaction with the Program.

The metrics in paragraphs (2), (4), and (6) shall be collected from Program participants and graduates for 10 years from their entrance into the Program to help the Department and Program Administrators understand the Program's long-term effect.

Data should be anonymized where needed to protect participant privacy.

The Department shall make such reports publicly available on its website.

(l) Mentorship Program.

(1) The Regional Primes Program Leads shall recruit, and the Primes Program Administrator shall select, with approval from the Department, private companies with the following qualifications to mentor participants and assist them in succeeding in the clean energy industry:

(i) excellent standing with state clean energy programs;

(ii) 4 or more years of experience in their field; and

(iii) a proven track record of success in their field.

(2) Mentor companies may receive a stipend, determined by the Department, for their participation. Mentor companies may identify what level of stipend they require.

(3) The Primes Program Administrator shall develop guidelines for mentor company-mentee profit sharing or purchased services agreements.

(4) The Regional Primes Program Leads shall:

(i) collaborate with mentor companies and participants to create a plan for ongoing contact such as on-the-job training, site walkthroughs, business process and structure walkthroughs, quality assurance and quality control reviews, and other relevant activities;

(ii) recommend the mentor company-mentee pairings and associated mentor company stipends for approval;

(iii) conduct an annual review of each mentor company-mentee pairing and recommend whether the pairing continues for a second year and the level of stipend that is appropriate. The review shall also ensure that any profit sharing and purchased services agreements adhere to the guidelines established by the Primes Program Administrator.

(5) Contractors may request reassignment to a new mentor company.

(m) Disparity study. The Program Administrator shall cooperate with the Illinois Power Agency in the conduct of a disparity study, as described in subsection (c-15) of Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency Act, and in the effectuation of appropriate remedies necessary to address any discrimination that such study may find. Potential remedies shall include, but not be limited to, race-conscious remedies to rapidly eliminate discrimination faced by minority businesses and works in the industry this Program serves, consistent with the law. Remedies shall be developed through consultation with individuals, companies, and organizations that have expertise on discrimination faced in the market and potential legally permissible remedies for addressing it. Notwithstanding any other requirement of this Section, the Program Administrator shall modify program participation criteria or goals as soon as the report has been published, in such a way as is consistent with state and federal law, to rapidly eliminate discrimination on minority businesses and workers in the industry this Program serves by setting standards for Program participation. This study will be paid for with funds from the Energy Transition Assistance Fund or any other lawful source.

(n) Program budget.

(1) The Department may allocate up to $3,000,000 annually to the Primes Program Administrator for each of the 3 regional budgets from the Energy Transition Assistance Fund.

(2) The Primes Program Administrator shall work with the Illinois Finance Authority and the Climate Bank as established by Article 850 of the Illinois Finance Authority Act or comparable financing institution so that loan loss reserves may be sufficient to underwrite $7,000,000 in low-interest loans in each of the 3 Program delivery areas.

(3) Any grant and loan funding shall be made available to participants in a timely fashion.

(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21; 103-961, eff. 8-9-24.)