The U.S Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program provides a vehicle for increasing the participation by Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) in state and local procurement. DOT DBE regulations require state and local transportation agencies that receive DOT financial assistance, to establish goals for the participation of DEBs. The main objectives of the DBE Program are:
• To ensure that small disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE) can compete fairly for federally funded transportation-related projects.
• To ensure that only eligible firms participate as DBE’s.
• To be certified as a DBE, a firm must be a small business owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Certifiers make the determinations based up on-site visits, personal interviews, reviews of licenses, stock ownership, equipment, bonding capacity, work completed, resume of principal owners and financial capacity.