Illinois Works Bid Credit Program

The Bid Credit Program provides bid credits or virtual dollars to contractors or subcontractors who employ Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program graduates as qualified apprentices.  Contractors or subcontractors are eligible to earn bid credits on every hour worked by the qualified apprentice in their Department of Labor Registered Apprentice Program (DOL-RAP) on any project, public or private.  These earned bid credits can be used by the contractor or subcontractor to win state-funded capital construction projects by making their bids more competitive. 

For general program information, please review our one-sheeter.  For general program questions, please contact the Illinois Works Bid Credit Program team at CEO.BidCreditProgram@illinois.gov.

If you are a state agency seeking information regarding the Bid Credit Program, please contact Rebecca Bailey, Senior Bid Credit Program Manager, at Rebecca.J.Bailey@illinois.gov.

For additional information please select from the following:

• How to join the Illinois Works Bid Credit Program
  • Advantages of the Bid Credit Program webinar
  • Effectively Using the Bid Credit Program – Earning
• How to location an Illinois Works Pre-apprenticeship program graduate
• How to request (earn) bid credits
• Locate Bid Credit Program Resources
• Bid Credit Program Forms
  • Contractor Registration Form
  • Bid Credit Apprentice Report
• Bid Credit Registered Contractors by County and Region
• Bid Credit Program Registry
• Contact the Bid Credit Program

If you are a contractor or subcontractor and are interested in registering for the Bid Credit Program, complete the Contractor Registration Form today.

Our Bid Credit Program Partner Guide Resources contains a job aid to assist you with the completion of the Contractor Registration Form. 

Please note ALL registered contractors MUST have Illinois Works Pre-apprenticeship graduates hired and working within the borders of the State of Illinois.

Advantages of the Bid Credit Program, an informational webinar on the benefits of the Bid Credit program has been updated for the administrative rules. 

Please check back for upcoming dates and times for this presentation to learn more about the Bid Credit Program.

Effectively Using the Bid Credit Program - Earning, an instructional webinar will train Bid Credit Program contractors and their staff on how to navigate the Contractor Dashboard and their Bid Credit Bank Account, and how to request bid credits. 

Please check back for upcoming dates and times for this presentation to learn more about how to navigate the platform to request bid credits for your apprentices.

Contractors interested in employing an Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program graduate, can simply submit a Job Order Request.

DOL-RAP’s or any other construction or building trades association looking to obtain a customized list of Illinois Works Pre-Apprentice Program graduates can submit a Graduate List Request.

For additional information on how to connect with an Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program graduate, please visit the Career Services page.

Bid credits are earned on the mean statewide prevailing wage for each construction trade.  The 2025 calculated mean prevailing wage rates for each construction trade can be found here.   

For work performed by qualified apprentices prior to May 1, 2025, contractors and subcontractors can submit a Bid Credit Apprentice Reports by August 1, 2025.

Our Bid Credit Program Partner Guide Resources contains a job aid to assist you with the completion of the Bid Credit Apprentice Report.

The Bid Credit Program Partner Guide is a repository of recorded webinars & training materials, resources, and newsletters.

Here you can find:

• Recorded Webinars
• Bid Credit Program Forms
• Bid Credit Program Resources such as Job Aids and Certified Payroll information
• Newsletters & Eblasts
• Bid Credit Program Registry Reports (archived)
• Bid Credit Registered Contractor Maps (archived)
• Meet the BCP Team
• Events

Below are the relevant links for use by Bid Credit Program contractors.

• Bid Credit Contractor Registration
  (form to register for a Bid Credit Program Bank Account)
• Bid Credit Apprentice Report
  (form to request bid credits for the hours worked by a qualified employee)

The state has been separated into two regions by county:        

• North Region consists of the following counties:  Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will.  This is the Northern East Region in purple.
• South Region consists of the remainder of the state.  This is the remaining regions.

All past maps can be found on the Bid Credit Program Partner Guide.  

For specific information on the active Bid Credit Program contractors and subcontractors please see the Bid Credit Registry below.

Bid Credit Registry

All past registries can be found on the Bid Credit Program Partner Guide.

Rebecca Bailey, Senior Bid Credit Program Manager
Email: Rebecca.j.bailey@illinois.gov or CEO.BidCreditProgram@illinois.gov
Phone: 312-305-4272