Office of Civil Rights
Notice to All DBE/ACDBE Firms
Effective October 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that changed how the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concession DBE (ACDBE) Programs operate nationwide.
What This Means:
- All DBE/ACDBE certifications will be reevaluated under new federal eligibility standards.
- Until reevaluations are complete, existing DBE/ACDBE certifications are not valid for contracting purposes and cannot be counted toward goals.
- Our Agency and all sub-recipients have paused goal setting and awards that include DBE/ACDBE goals.
Next Steps for DBE/ACDBE Firms:
- You will be contacted by the Certification Unit of the Office of Business Development (OBD) with instructions to complete recertification.
- Be prepared to provide a personal narrative, a Personal Net Worth (PNW) statement, and other supporting documents.
- Please do not submit new certification applications or change requests on existing certifications until further notice.
- If you are an Interstate firm, reach out to your Jurisdiction of Original Certification (home state) for your re-evaluation process. Each Interstate DBE/ACDBE certified firm must be re-evaluated by their home state prior to being accepted and certified by the NJUCP.
The Office of Business Development (OBD) is working closely with the U.S. DOT and state partners to establish a clear process for these changes.