Glossary / Business, Programs
Disadvantaged Business EnterpriseDBE
The DBE program applies to projects funded by the Department of Transportation's highway, transit and aviation grants, which states and local authorities build. A DBE is a small business at least 51 percent owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals whose personal net worth is under the program's cap, certified by a state's Unified Certification Program. Recipients of DOT funds set DBE participation goals on their contracts, and primes must make good-faith efforts to meet them with certified DBE subcontractors. The Airport Concession DBE program is the parallel for airport businesses.
Why it matters to your pipeline
DBE certification is the entry ticket to state DOT, transit-agency and airport work, where primes must find certified subcontractors to meet contract goals. It is a state certification recognized across a state, not a federal set-aside, and it does not transfer to federal prime contracts. For a trades or engineering firm, it can be worth more than any federal status in its home state.
When this term shows up in an opening GovSmith finds for you, your vCM explains what it means for that pursuit and does whatever it calls for. You decide; we do the work.
Example
A certified DBE trucking company is written into a prime's bid on a $60M state highway project to meet a 9 percent DBE goal, and hauls aggregate for two seasons under the resulting subcontract.
Find out what applies to you
Some terms will matter to your business right away and some won’t for years. A vCM can tell you which are which.