On February 21, 2024, Mikal Washington from the Equity and Engagement Department and Adonis Fuller from the Finance Department attended IDOT’s annual conference “Today’s Challenge, Tomorrow’s Reward” in Springfield, IL at the Crowne Plaza hotel. The event was centered around providing education and networking opportunities to DBE firms and contractors. City staff provided information on the Champaign Diversity Advancement Program (CDAP) and the Designated Procurement Initiative (DPI). They were also able to receive feedback from interested firms and contractors regarding challenges they face in the bidding process. Additionally, staff were able to connect with current CDAP vendors and hear from them how the City’s programs compare to others they learned about throughout the day.