1 / 18

DBE UPDATE

DBE UPDATE. Birmingham, August 2009. HOUSE HEARING. March 2009, House T&I Purpose was to put before Congress evidence of continuing compelling need for DBE program Idea, in part, is to head off Rothe-style attacks DOT statistical evidence, disparity studies, testimony from DBEs. H.R. 915.

howie
Télécharger la présentation

DBE UPDATE

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. DBE UPDATE Birmingham, August 2009

  2. HOUSE HEARING • March 2009, House T&I • Purpose was to put before Congress evidence of continuing compelling need for DBE program • Idea, in part, is to head off Rothe-style attacks • DOT statistical evidence, disparity studies, testimony from DBEs

  3. H.R. 915 • House-passed FAA reauthorization bill • Senate currently working on its version • Includes findings of continuing need for DBE program • Several program changes: PNW inflation adjustment, retirement accounts, training • Doesn’t directly address interstate certification • House surface bill likely to include similar features

  4. DOT NPRM • Proposed 3-year rather than annual goal submission and review for Part 26 • About 30 comments • Most favored longer cycle (reduced burdens), but want opportunity to adjust • Some opposition (not flexible enough to respond to market or grant changes) • Next step – draft final rule

  5. DOT ANPRM • Asked for comment on 6 issues, most resulting from stakeholder meetings • Around 30 comments • Next stage - NPRM asking for comment on specific proposals

  6. COUNTING ISSUE • Issue concerns whether to count as DBE participation stuff a DBE sub obtains from the prime contractor on a project. Current reg says no. • Comments were varied: some want to maintain status quo, some want state to be able to make exceptions some want to count stuff obtained from prime, others want nothing from third-party sources to count

  7. UNBUNDLING • Concept is to break up large contracts into bite-size chunks small firms, including DBEs, can do. • Everybody thinks this would be a good thing to do, few think it is practical • Most commenters said leave to state discretion • Some specific proposals for regulatory requirements (e.g., require for a certain contract size, provide incentives for unbundling)

  8. FORMS • Widespread support for rewrite of PNW and, to a lesser extent, application forms • Many specific, detailed suggestions for modifying forms, Including a couple model forms that people sent in

  9. INTERSTATE CERTIFICATION • Issue is how to facilitate certification in State B of firm certified in State A, while maintaining program integrity • Big issue for DBE community • Barriers are the 3 Ts – training, trust, and turf • DOT took big step in 1999 by requiring UCPs for one stop shopping within each state • ANPRM asked what next steps should be

  10. INTERSTATE CERTIFICATION (2) • Majority of commenters favored some sort of reciprocity • Some of these wanted pure reciprocity • Others would allow post-certification review by State B for fraud or other reasons • A few comments supported “Federalizing” certification or a national DBE data base • Some comments opposed reciprocity: wanted to maintain local control or to wait until there was better nationwide training

  11. INTERSTATE CERTIFICATION (3) • Some states preferred simply to make own decisions based on documentation provided by State A • Widespread support for uniform national training

  12. OVERSIGHT • Commenters had very different ideas about what sort of oversight was needed • Most recipients commenting wanted more DOT $ if DOT wanted more oversight • Some commenters thought things were fine as is

  13. T for C • Current rule says if prime wants to dump DBE sub it signed up to meet goal for other than good cause, and self-perform work, then prime needs written consent from recipient • ANPRM asked if same rule should apply any time prime wants to dump DBE, even if prime doesn’t want to self- perform • 15 of 18 comments favored adding such a requirement

  14. OTHER REG PROJECTS • Final rule doing size inflationary adjustment already issued • Refinement of some ownership criteria • Potential project on PNW inflationary adjustment • Airport concessions: sunset/program review; national car rental goals

  15. RECENT Q&A’S • Small business set-asides • Relationship between certification in particular types of work and eligibility for DBE credit to meet a contract goal • DBE coverage under ARRA (highway, transit, and airport projects, but not high-speed rail or OST discretionary “Tiger grants”)

  16. ARRA BONDING PROGRAM • $20m in ARRA for DBE bonding program, applying to ARRA-funded DOT projects • DOT OSDBU worked with SBA to set up joint program SBA bailed out at last minute • DOT now working on new version of program. • Would defray fees for bond premiums and SBA fees, where SBA program is involved • Estimate this could be $350k per bond, for assistance to 1500-2100 DBEs

  17. ST. LOUIS DUAL GOAL PROPOSAL • MODOT and IDOT, prodded by local MBE community, plan to ask for program waiver to have separate MBE/WBE goals, rather than a single DBE goal, on a mega-project for a new Mississippi River bridge • Concern is that too few MBEs get work vs. white female-owned firms • Some public meetings and work with a consultant to come up with rationale and supporting data.

  18. ST. LOUIS DUAL GOAL PROPOSAL (2) • There have been 3 waivers of Pt. 26 prohibition of group specific goals: CO, CA, OR • In each case, detailed disparity study showed overutilization for some groups and underutilization for others • There is not yet a disparity study for MO/IL • Waiver request was supposed to be in already; apparently data is delayed. First solicitations are in September.

More Related