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 immediately changes the operation of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concession DBE (ACDBE) Programs nationwide.
What This Means:
- • All DBE certifications will be reevaluated under new federal eligibility standards.
- • Until reevaluations are complete, existing DBE/ACDBE certifications 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 Firms:
- • You will be contacted by the Certification Department with instructions to complete recertification.
- • Be prepared to provide a personal narrative, a Personal Net Worth (PNW) statement, and other supporting documents.
- • We are not accepting new applications. Firms that need to complete the re-evaluation process do not use the change request for the re-evaluation process.
The Certification Department is working closely with the U.S. DOT and state partners to establish a clear process for these changes.
Notice of Suspension of Texas HUB Certifications:
The Texas Comptroller’s announcement on December 5, 2025, marks the conclusion of the Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) program after twenty-five years. This change represents a significant shift in Texas public procurement, moving away from race- and gender-based preferences and focusing instead on service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.
This transition impacts more than 15,000 businesses statewide, including women-owned, Black-owned, Hispanic-owned, and other minority-owned firms. A new certification program, Vet HUB, is now available exclusively to service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. Existing contracts may continue under their current terms.
Click on the link for more information on how to apply for the Vet HUB certification.
VETHUB Certification Process
