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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise

DOT’s DBE Program seeks to ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of DOT-assisted contracts in the Department’s highway, transit, and airport financial assistance programs and to create a level playing field on which DBEs can compete fairly for DOT-assisted contracts. The FTA Office of Civil Rights is responsible for monitoring FTA recipients' DBE programs and ensuring their compliance with DOT's DBE regulations found at 49 CFR Part 26.

FTA Webinar on the DBE Program and Ferry Manufacturing

On August 11, 2022, FTA’s Office of Civil Rights conducted an informational webinar on the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program and Ferry Manufacturing. A recording of the webinar is available here (transcript available upon request).

DOT DBE Community of Practice Training Sessions 2022

The U.S. Department of Transportation hosted a series of training sessions on the DBE program throughout the first half of 2022. The series included speakers from FTA, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration. The sessions were recorded and are available here.

DBE Outreach and Listening Session

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Office of Civil Rights hosted a virtual outreach and listening session on Thursday, October 14, 2021 on the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program (49 CFR Part 26). DBEs, FTA recipients, transit vehicle manufacturers, and other interested stakeholders participated and provided feedback. For more information and a recording of the session, please visit the event page here.

DBE Reporting Requirements

Uniform Reports

The 2014 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise regulations require FTA recipients and transit vehicle manufacturers (TVMs) to use the new semi-annual Uniform Report (located at 49 CFR Part 26, Appendix B). Guidance on completing the ongoing payments portion of the Uniform Report can be found here and an Excel copy of the Uniform Report can be found here. The Uniform Report must be submitted to FTA on June 1 and December 1 of each fiscal year.

TVMs should submit this report via e-mail following instructions on the TVM page.

Transit Vehicle Award Reports

The 2014 DBE regulation updates require FTA recipients to report transit vehicle procurement awards. Effective November 2014, FTA recipients are required to submit, within 30 days of making an award, the name of the successful bidder and the total dollar value of the contract. Remember, only eligible TVMs may bid on FTA-assisted transit vehicle procurements.

Recipients must use the online Transit Vehicle Award Reporting Form to report the required information on transit vehicle procurement awards. For more information on the TVM program requirements, please refer to the TVM webpage. The link to the electronic reporting form may also be found on the list of eligible TVMs.

Goal Setting

Fraud & Certification Appeals 

Last updated: Tuesday, November 15, 2022