 | PA Unified Certification Program FAQ's |
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Moving Pennsylvania forward and creating economic opportunities for all. |
| In March of 1999, the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) issued a new Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) regulation, 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 26. This regulation requires all Pennsylvania agencies receiving U.S. DOT funding to band together and develop/implement/maintain a Unified Certification Program (UCP) to ensure “one stop shopping” for DBE certification. U.S. DOT funding includes monies from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA). In March of 2005, 49 CFR Part 23 was issued to address DBE firms who operate as airport concessionaires (ACDBE). The U.S. DOT regulations affect all states. More information about the DBE Program can be found on the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization’s website at http://www.osdbu.dot.gov/DBEProgram/index.cfm. |
| Prospective DBEs seeking certification can select from any one of the following five agencies, known as Certifying Participants (CPs): |
| - Allegheny County
- Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)
- Port Authority of Allegheny County
- Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
- City of Philadelphia
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| Frequently Asked Questions |
| Who must belong to the PA UCP? |
| All U.S. DOT recipients who receive funds from the FAA, FHWA, and FTA and who have over $250,000 in federally assisted contracting opportunities must comply with the 49 CFR Part 26 requirements. Based on funding, entities may or may not participate from year to year. The PA UCP Agreement outlines how Pennsylvania's UCP will operate and function. |
| How does the PA UCP affect DBEs who want to get certified? |
| The PA UCP provides "one-stop shopping" certification for DBE applicants. Prospective DBEs can select from any one of the above mentioned CP’s , to obtain certification. One stop shopping means that a DBE applicant will only file one application and go through one certification review to achieve certification that will be recognized by all recipients of FAA, FHWA, and FTA funds in PA. |
|  Is there a cost to become certified? |
| No, certification is free. There is no charge to the DBE applicant. |
| What happened to DBEs who were previously certified by federal recipients of aviation, transit, and transportation funds? |
| A process was undertaken to combine all of the existing databases and include those firms that met the standards for certification under 49 CFR Parts 26 and 23. DBEs are now certified by the PA UCP instead of having certification from a specific agency. |
| What is the advantage of the PA UCP to DBEs? |
| Once certified by the PA UCP, all recipients of FAA, FHWA, or FTA funds in PA will recognize that certification. Mandatory reciprocity is a component of the Unified Certification Program within Pennsylvania. This process saves time and time translates into money saved for DBE applicants. DBEs can also go directly online to www.paucp.com and download certification applications and instructions. |
| How do prime contractors benefit? |
| Prime contractors will find ease of use with one PA UCP DBE web-based directory to locate DBEs certified by the PA UCP for all projects funded by FAA, FHWA, or FTA. Firms can be found on the PA UCP website, www.paucp.com by their North American Industry Classification code (NAICS) (http://www.naics.com/). In addition, firms can be located by name, and type of work performed. This will enable primes to more quickly access information specific to their needs. |
|  Is there any way to tell if the DBEs in the PA UCP directory are a Minority- or Woman-owned Business? |
| Yes. We have provided a sub-category of Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) designations. Although this designation is not needed for federal purposes, it allows entities that wish to utilize these firms to include them in other programs that require a MBE/WBE designation. This function can provide more business opportunities to the firms in the PA UCP. |
|  Will there still be Minority and Woman Business certification programs for non-federally funded programs administered by agencies? |
| Individual agencies will still have MBE/WBE programs that require different processes and are administered under the auspices of the individual agency. The PA UCP only affects firms to be utilized for federal-aid projects. |
| Can other agencies use the DBEs that are certified under the PA UCP? |
| The PA UCP directory is available in print upon request. However, as the directory is constantly changing, it is recommended that entities seeking firms utilize the on-line directory. This will help ensure that only firms that are currently certified under the strict standards of 49 CFR Parts 26 and 23 are utilized. It should be noted that there are a wide variety of firms certified by the PA UCP that perform work outside of the aviation, highway and transit industries. The more entities that utilize the PA UCP the greater the opportunities created for DBE firms. Therefore, entities that do not have the resources to perform certification are strongly encouraged to utilize the PA UCP directory. |
| Is there a point person for the PA UCP? |
| Myneca Ojo, Director, PA Turnpike, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, serves as the chairperson of PA UCP's Oversight Committee. She can be reached 717-939-9551 or by email: mojo@paturnpike.com |
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