Types of certification - Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) – State-funded contracts
- Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) – U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) - funded contracts
- Airport Concessionaires Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) – Airport concessions contracts
Steps to Certification - Application – Applicant submits completed application and supporting documentation.
- Investigation – Office of MBE staff reviews documentation submitted by applicant, conducts an on-site/job-site visit and prepares an investigative report.
- Determination – MBE Advisory Committee (MBEAC) reviews the investigative report to evaluate whether the firm meets the MBE/DBE program requirements.
- Certification – MBEAC Chair issues a certification letter and the firm is listed in MDOT’s online MBE/DBE Directory.
MBE/DBE Eligibility Standards
Eligibility can be broken down into five key standards: - Ownership - A minimum of 51% ownership by one or more socially- and economically-disadvantaged individual(s).
- Minority Status - Certain groups are presumed to be socially and economically disadvantaged:
African American
American Indian/Native American
Asian American
Hispanic American
Women
Disabled (MBE only)
Non-profit organizations serving the physically and/or mentally disabled population (MBE only)
- Control - The minority applicant(s) must have technical expertise and experience relating to specific products and/or services provided by the firm as well as the authority to make day-to-day and long-term business decisions for the firm.
- Personal Net Worth - Applicants must fall below the personal net worth cap established for the State and federal programs:
MBE - $1,504,585 (Effective 1/1/2010 through 12/31/2010.)
DBE - $750,000
- Size - The applicant firm must meet the small business size standards established by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Size standards are measured by average annual gross receipts (ranging from $750,000 to $35,500,000 depending on the industry) or average number of employees (ranging from 500 to 1,000 depending on the industry).
See the SBA’s website for more information:
http://www.sba.gov/contractingopportunities/officials/size/index.html. Please click here for more information. |
