The 2022 Long-Term Plan, as approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission, adopts the following definition of “project workforce”:

Employees, contractors and their employees, and subcontractors and their employees, whose job duties are directly required by or substantially related to the development, construction, and operation of a project that is participating in or intended to participate in the IPA-administered programs and procurements under Section 1-75(c) of the IPA Act. This shall include both project installation workforce and workforce in administrative, sales, marketing, and technical roles where those workers’ duties are performed in Illinois. (2022 Long-Term Plan at 328).

The MES applies to the project workforce, so if the MES is 10%, EEPs must make up 10% of the project workforce. Therefore, compliance with the MES is based on number of workers or employees, not the work hours performed by those employees.