The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program is administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide a vehicle for increasing the participation of minority business enterprises in state and local procurement. The DOT DBE program is implemented by recipients of DOT Federal Financial Assistance. The Office of Economic and Small Business Development (OESBD) works to certify local firms under the DBE program and to establish annual DBE participation goals for Broward County's aviation and transit projects.
The DBE Program Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 26 (49 CFR 26), the guidelines for this program, can be viewed in entirety online. As mandated in 49 CFR 26, OESBD accepts applications for DBE certification through the State of Florida Unified Certification (UCP) Program, a "one-stop shop" for DBE applicants managed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). FDOT maintains an electronic DBE Directory of its certified firms.