Pursuant to the requirements of the federal regulations, 49 CFR part 26, all recipients of federal-aid must implement a "one-stop" certification process for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. As a result of this requirement, the following five entities have established the IL UCP. The five certifying Illinois United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) direct recipients are the Illinois Department of Transportation, City of Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace.

The IL UCP is based on the concept of reciprocity among the agencies. "One stop shopping" will be provided to applicants for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certification, such that an applicant needs only to apply once for DBE certification that will be honored by all participating agencies in the state of Illinois.