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The Metropolitan Council receives funding for projects and procurements from several sources, including federal funding from the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Both the U.S. DOT and the EPA require their fund recipients to have a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program (DBE).
The DBE program is a project for increasing the participation of women- and minority-owned businesses in the award of federally assisted contracts. See current contracting opportunities at the Council.
The Council has established goals for contracts for fiscal years 2017-2020:
- 15% overall DBE for transit contracts
- 7% Minority (MBE) and 7% Woman (WBE) Fair Share for environmental service contracts
Applying for DBE Certification
The Minnesota Unified Certification Program consists of a group of state and local agencies who work together to certify firms as DBE’s. The current certifying agencies are City of Minneapolis, Metropolitan Airports Commission, Metropolitan Council and Minnesota Department of Transportation. The MNUCP acts as a one-stop-shop for businesses that qualify as a DBE or wish to submit an application for DBE status.
Directory of DBE-Certified Firms
The DBE directory lists firms certified by the MNUCP as DBE Businesses, updated biweekly. Businesses in this directory can be based in any state, but are certified to work in Minnesota. Find detailed information for each firm by searching the MNUCP DBE Directory.
DBE Participation Contract Goals for Federally Funded Projects
Project contracts will include DBE participation goals if they meet the following three requirements:
- The project is federally funded
- There are opportunities for subcontractors
- The contract value is more than $50,000
OEO staff sets specific participation goals on each project contract. All bidders/proposers for projects with DBE goals will be required to meet the DBE goal percentage. If the bidder/proposers is not able to meet the goal they may receive a waiver from OEO based on their Good Faith Efforts (PDF).
Contact Us
dbe@metc.state.mn.us