Established in 1978, Maryland’s Minority Business Enterprise Program is the oldest in the country. The MBE/DBE program was established to ensure that small, minority- and women-owned firms have the opportunity to participate fully and fairly in both state and United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) federally funded projects.

Government Executive Consulting Services (GECS) provides assistance for clients to be approved for the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and DBE Interstate, Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE), and Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Program Certifications.

The Maryland Department of Transportation is the State’s official certification agency for firms seeking status as a:

• Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)
• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and DBE Interstate
• Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE)
• Small Business Enterprise (SBE)

The SBE program was introduced as a race-and-gender neutral program designed to provide contracting opportunities to small businesses on USDOT federally-aided projects with the State Highway Administration (SHA), Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), and Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA).

In addition to implementing the State’s MBE Program, which has a 29% overall participation goal, MDOT also implements the DBE program for contracts funded by the USDOT.  Individual DBE Program goals are only established for each of MDOT’s federally funded business units; SHA, MAA, and MTA.

Current DBE Program participation goals are as follows:

• SHA: 27.16%
• MAA: 25.0%
• MTA: 30.0%

Steps to Certification

1. Application – Applicant submits a complete application and all required supporting documentation.
2. Investigation – An investigator reviews documentation submitted by applicant, conducts an on-site/job-site visit and prepares an investigative report.
3. Evaluation – MBE Advisory Committee (MBEAC) reviews the investigative report to evaluate whether the applicant firm meets the MBE/DBE/ACDBE program requirement
4. Determination – MBEAC Chair issues a written determination.

GECS Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and DBE Interstate, Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE), and Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Program Certification registration service includes the following:

• Assessing whether your business meets MBE, DBE, ACDBE, and SBE criteria
• Completing online application
• Uploading entity documents to MDOT online portal for approval