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District 12 Small Business Program

The Small Business (SB) and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) Certification Programs were established to increase business opportunities for the SB and DVBE communities within the State of California; thereby stimulating the state's overall economy. It is the Department’s goal to promote SB and DVBE participation in its procurement and contracting process by meeting or exceeding the 25% SB participation mandate and 5% DVBE goal.

The Department also strives to increase the level of participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) in all Federal contracting activities.

ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE DBE PROGRAM

Caltrans announces the implementation of a statewide reevaluation of certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concessions DBE (ACDBE) firms in accordance with revised federal regulations issued on October 3, 2025. This action ensures continued compliance with federal law while maintaining fair and transparent access to contracting opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses.

Under the new Federal DBE regulations (IFR issued October 3, 2025), certifications must now be based on individualized demonstrations of social and economic disadvantage, with no reliance on race- or sex-based presumptions. All currently certified DBE/ACDBE firms are being reevaluated under these standards, and those that do not meet the new criteria may be decertified. During the reevaluation period, recipients may not set DBE contract goals nor count DBE participation toward goals.

Caltrans is working with the Unified Certification Program agencies to reevaluate more than 6000 DBEs as soon as practicable. DBE firms are being contacted by their certifying agency regarding additional requirements to get recertified. New applications will be processed once the reevaluation process is completed. If you have a pending application, please check for new requirements, and wait for resubmittal date announcement.

If you submitted your reevaluation packet by April 16, 2026, it is currently being reviewed by your certifying agency. You can expect to receive a status update within the next few weeks. No action is needed on your part at this time, unless contacted by your certifying agency.

If you submitted it after April 16, 2026, your packet will be processed once all on-time submissions have been reviewed. If you haven’t done so yet, you can still submit your DBE Reevaluation Packet to verify your continued DBE Program Eligibility. 

Note: Firms certified in another state must provide documentation from their Jurisdiction of Certification (JOC) confirming that the firm has been reevaluated and approved under the new IFR requirements. Caltrans will process Out-of-State applications once it completes the initial revaluation process of firms certified in its jurisdiction. Out-of-State firms will be notified once the process is complete. Until then, firms certified in other states will remain ineligible to participate in the DBE Program in California.

 

Read the Reevaluation Letter Guide for more information.

OCR ensures non-discrimination in the execution of contracts and promotes positive external customer relations.

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program (DBE) - Federal Funded Program

Caltrans is committed to an overall Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal of 21.35% on its federal-funded projects based upon a race-neutral and race-conscious methodology. 

Small Business (SB) & Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise (DVBE) - State Funded Programs

Caltrans is committed to increasing the economic opportunity and development of Small Business (SB) and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBE) within the State of California. Caltrans is committed to an SB participation minimum of 25% and DVBE goal of 5% on State funded contracts and procurement opportunities.

Resources

Contact

Have questions? Contact the District 12 Small Business Liaison D12SmallBusiness@dot.ca.gov