Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program

The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in conducting business, including the procurement of goods and services. The DBE program intends to provide contracting opportunities to small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. PRTC recognizes its responsibilities to the communities in which it operates and to the society it serves and reaffirms that commitment through the operation of its DBE Program and Policy Statement.

PRTC supports and encourages the use of DBE businesses and minority owned or controlled financial institutions. Information concerning how to be certified as a DBE in the state of Virginia can be found by contacting the Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise, 200-202 N. 9th Street, 11th Floor, Richmond VA 23219, (804) 786-6585 and www.dmbe.state.va.us.

DBE Policy Statement

PRTC has established a DBE Program in accordance with the regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation ("DOT"), 49 CFR Part 26. The DBE Program applies to all DOT-assisted projects. The DBE Program goals are as follows:

1. To ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of DOT-assisted contracts and subcontracts.
2. To create a level playing field on which DBEs can compete fairly and participate fully in the performance of all DOT-assisted contracts and subcontracts;
3. To ensure that the DBE Program is narrowly tailored in accordance with applicable laws;
4. To ensure that only firms that fully meet 49 CFR Part 26 eligibility standards are permitted to participate as DBEs.
5. To help remove barriers in the participation of DBEs in DOT-assisted contracts and subcontracts.
6. To assist the development of firms that can compete successfully in the marketplace outside the DBE Program.
7. To ensure nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin or sex in the award and administration of DOT-assisted contracts and subcontracts.

DBE Goal

The DBE goal for FFY 2008 is 7.5%.