The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program helps to remedy past and present discrimination by providing women and minority-owned small businesses with opportunities to secure government contracts and access critical business networks. DBEs are small, independent businesses owned and controlled by women and men of all races, with many typically operating as specialty subcontractors in the highway, transportation, and airport construction industries.
It remains one of the few federal efforts that helps level the playing field in an industry where a legacy of discrimination has excluded, and continues to exclude, qualified businesses. The program is based on good faith participation from all parties—federal and state governments, DBEs, and specialty contractors alike.
The DBE program isn’t just a policy — it’s a pathway for diverse businesses to contribute meaningfully to infrastructure, innovation, and job creation.