Understanding the U.S. Department of Transportation’s DBE Program
Webinar | 09.20.23, 1:00 PM EDT - 2:00 PM EDT | CLE Offered
Address
Virtual
With historic levels of federal funding set to flow to state and local projects aimed at improving the nation’s roads, airports, railroads, and other transportations systems, it has never been more important for contractors to understand the requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program.
The injection of federal dollars into infrastructure projects through the Investment and Jobs Act and other federal laws has created enormous opportunities for both prime contractors and DBE-certified firms, but the acceptance of these federal funds also comes with significant risks if companies fail to comply with DBE requirements. In this webinar, Crowell & Moring attorneys will discuss the following topics:
- Current requirements of the DOT DBE program, including but not limited to how these requirements are applied at the state level, the requirements for a contractor to be certified as a DBE, how to perform a commercially useful function, how to satisfy the good faith efforts requirement, and how the requirements impact large government contractors who respond to a solicitation or perform a contract with a DBE goal,
- Potential changes to the program as reflected in DOT’s 2022 notice of proposed rulemaking that would “strengthen implementation” of the DBE program,
- Common pitfalls, how the DBE requirements are enforced by federal and state regulators, and False Claims Act suits, and
- Best practices to mitigate risks.
For questions about this program, contact Ngar Eldredge at neldredge@crowell.com.
For more information, please visit these areas: Government Contracts
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Rethinking "the Administrative State" - Takeaways From the Supreme Court's 2025–26 Term
The Supreme Court's 2025–26 term took up several momentous cases that will influence and, in key respects, reorient constitutional separation-of-powers principles moving forward. Join the D.C. Bar Administrative Law and Agency Practice Community for a discussion of the key takeaways from the Supreme Court's 2025-26 term. This panel will examine decisions addressing the scope of executive branch authority, including cases involving tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the removal of leaders of so-called independent agencies. The discussion will also address significant orders issued on the Court's emergency docket and what these decisions and orders signal about the distinct roles the three branches of federal government play in shaping the administrative state.
