The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced $10 million in funding from the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise/Supportive Services (DBE/SS) program to help eligible small businesses compete for federal highway contracts.
“With these funds, state transportation departments will help minority- and women-owned businesses across the country create jobs and better compete for resources for transportation projects nationwide,” Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack said in a statement.
According to a news release from FHWA, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) continues funding for the DBE/SS program for fiscal years 2022 through 2026. The funding is provided to state DOTs, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Territories for the purpose of administering programs that provide training and assistance to DBEs to improve their ability to compete on federally assisted contracts.
A DBE is considered a for-profit, small business owned and controlled by minorities, women or other socially and economically disadvantaged individuals or, in the case of a corporation, one in which 51% of the stock is owned by one or more such individuals, FHWA says.
The FHWA distributes DBE/SS funds each year based on submitted statements of work and using an administrative formula to determine funding for each recipient. This year, FHWA received 48 submissions from 45 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands. Eight states and territories declined funding.
The FHWA has promoted the participation of DBEs in federal-aid highway contracts through state-managed programs since 1982. A breakdown of funding amounts for fiscal year 2021 can be found on FHWA's website.
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SOURCE: Federal Highway Administration
