Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program

The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program (DBE) is a legislatively mandated United States Department of Transportation (UDSOT) program that applies to Federal-aid highway dollars expended on federally-assisted contracts issued by USDOT recipients. The U.S. Congress established the DBE program in 1982 to:

  • Ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of DOT-assisted contracts;
  • Help remove barriers to the participation of DBEs in DOT-assisted contracts, and
  • Assist the development of firms that can compete successfully in the marketplace outside of the DBE program.

Put simply,  the primary goal and objective of the DBE program is to level the playing field by providing small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals a fair opportunity to compete for federally funded transportation contracts.  As a recipient of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) fund, the City of Homestead is committed to fulfilling this goal.  

Homestead and the DBE Program

The City of Homestead (Homestead) has established a DBE program in accordance with regulations of the FTA, 49 CFR, Part 26 and the USDOT. Homestead has received federal financial assistance from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and transferred to the FTA, and, as a condition of receiving this assistance, the City has signed an assurance that it will comply with 49 CFR part 26, Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in Department of Transportation Financial Assistance Programs. This requirement most recently was reinstated by Congress in the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), (P.L. 114-94).

It is the policy of Homestead to ensure that DBEs as defined in Part 26 have an equal opportunity to receive and participate in FTA-assisted contracts. It is also our policy:

  1. To ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of FTA-assisted contracts;
  2. To create a level playing field on which DBEs and small businesses can compete fairly for FTA-assisted contracts;
  3. To ensure that the DBE Program is narrowly tailored in accordance with applicable law;
  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 to the participation of DBEs and small businesses in FTA assisted contracts;
  6. To promote the use of DBEs in all types of federally-assisted contracts and procurement activities conducted by Homestead;
  7. To assist the development of firms that can compete successfully in the marketplace outside the DBE Program; and
  8. To provide appropriate flexibility to recipients of federal financial assistance in establishing and providing opportunities for DBEs.

You can view the City's full goal calculation and report here.

City of Homestead 2017-2019 Revised DBE Goal Methodology/Overall DBE Goal Calculation (§26.45) is available here.

Public Notices

Doing Business as a DBE

To participate in the City of Homestead DBE Program, a business must be registered as a DBE with any other Florida agency.  Agencies with DBE Programs recognized by the City of Homestead include: 

Follow the links above to register with those agencies.