Disadvantaged Business Enterprise

DBE Defined

Only small business concerns as defined by the United States Small Business Administration which are owned and controlled by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, can be certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE).

Requirements

Owned and controlled means:

• At least 51 percent of the small business concern is owned by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals
• Whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more of the socially and economically disadvantaged individuals who own it
• Only existing for-profit "Small Business Concerns," as defined by the Small Business Act and Small Business Administration (SBA) regulations may be certified.
• DBE applicants are first subject to the applicable small business size standards of the SBA.
• The average annual gross receipts for the firm (including its affiliates) over the previous three fiscal years must not exceed U.S. DOT's cap of $19.57 million
• The Personal Net Worth (PNW) of each socially and economically disadvantaged owner must not exceed $750,000, excluding the individual's ownership interest in the applicant firm and the equity in his/her primary residence

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