Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program
DBE Policy Statement
Your Business has established a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program in accordance with the regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), 49 CFR Part 26. Your Business receives federal financial assistance from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and, as a condition of receiving this assistance, has signed an assurance that it will comply with 49 CFR Part 26.
It is the policy of Your Business:
- To ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of DOT-assisted contracts.
- To create a level playing field on which DBEs can compete fairly for DOT-assisted contracts.
- To ensure that the DBE program operates in a nondiscriminatory manner and without regard to race or sex, while maximizing efficiency of service.
- To ensure that only firms that fully meet the eligibility standards of 49 CFR Part 26 are permitted to participate as DBEs.
- To help remove barriers to the participation of DBEs in DOT-assisted contracts.
- To promote the use of DBEs in all types of federally assisted contracts and procurement activities.
- To assist the development of firms that can compete successfully in the marketplace outside the DBE program.
The Civil Rights Officer has been designated as the DBE Liaison Officer. In that capacity, the DBE Liaison Officer is responsible for implementing all aspects of the DBE program and has direct, independent access to the General Manager on DBE program matters. Implementation of the DBE program is given the same priority as compliance with all other legal obligations incurred by Your Business in its financial assistance agreements with DOT.
Your Business has circulated this policy statement throughout the organization and to the DBE and non-DBE business communities that perform work on its DOT-assisted contracts, by posting it on its website and in each facility, and including it in every DOT-assisted solicitation.
Applicability and Program Status
Your Business is an FTA Tier I recipient. It expects to award prime contracts, excluding transit vehicle purchases, with a cumulative total value of more than $670,000 in FTA funds in a federal fiscal year, and keeps a DBE program meeting all the requirements of 49 CFR Part 26. The program has been submitted to FTA for approval, and significant changes will be submitted to FTA before they take effect.
Changes to the DBE Program in 2025 and 2026
On October 3, 2025, DOT issued an interim final rule, made final on September 25, 2026, that changed the DBE program. Under the current rule:
- There is no longer any presumption that a business owner is socially and economically disadvantaged because of race or sex. Every owner must show disadvantage based on their own experiences and circumstances, through a Personal Narrative and a personal net worth statement (49 CFR 26.67).
- Every currently certified DBE is being reevaluated by its state's Unified Certification Program (UCP) under the new standard. UCPs must complete reevaluation by December 24, 2026, unless DOT grants a one-time extension of up to 90 days (49 CFR 26.111). Firms that do not submit the required documents are disqualified.
- Until the UCP covering Your Business has completed its reevaluation, Your Business may not set DBE contract goals, may not count DBE participation toward DBE goals, and is not required to update its overall goal (49 CFR 26.45(h), 26.51(h), 26.55(i)).
As of the date of this policy, the Illinois Unified Certification Program has not completed its reevaluation. Until it does, Your Business will not set DBE contract goals on new solicitations, will not count DBE participation toward goals, and will not enforce DBE contract goals that were set before October 3, 2025. Your Business will continue all other parts of this program, including DBE-neutral outreach, the small business element, prompt payment, monitoring and reporting, and will update this policy when reevaluation is complete.
DBE Liaison Officer
DBE Liaison Officer contact details: [mailing address]; [phone]; [email]