The purpose of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program is to implement the Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century (TEA-21) that retains continuation of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program in highway and transit programs.   

The DBE Program is to ensure "level playing field" and foster equal opportunity in U. S. Department of Transportation assisted contracts with small business concerns which are owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.  

This Program is responsible for certifying Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms according to Title 49, Part 26 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This is accomplished by a thorough analysis of the application with the supporting documents and on-site interview. Only small business firms that are independently owned and controlled in both substance and form by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged persons are certified.  

In order to avoid unnecessary delays, please complete all portions of the Application and the attached Personal Net worth Statement/Affidavit. Indicate non-applicable items by using "N/A". Copies of documents requested in the questionnaire are required and must be submitted. Additional documentation may be requested if it is considered necessary to make a certification determination. Incomplete applications, or any without the required documents, will not be evaluated until such documents are submitted.  

The entire process takes approximately 90 days once a complete application is received.  If supporting documentation, signatures, or notarizations are missing, or if additional information is needed, the application is considered to be incomplete. Once certified, the firm will be listed in the Department's Registry of Certified DBE when updated online at the beginning of each month. 
 

• At least 51 percent of the small business concern is owned by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals; and
• Whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more of the socially and economically disadvantaged individuals who own it.

Under Sec. 26.107 of 49 CFR Part 26, dated February 2, 1999, if at any time, the Department or a recipient has reason to believe that any person or firm has willfully and knowingly provided incorrect information or made false statements, the Department may initiate suspension or debarment proceedings against the person or firm under 49 CFR Part 29, take enforcement action under 49 CFR Part 31, Program Fraud and Civil Remedies, and/or refer the matter to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 1001, which prohibits false statements in Federal programs. 

Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity office administers the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program, the Title VI Program, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.