PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation will conduct a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Availability and Disparity Study designed to determine whether minority- and women-owned business enterprises have had equal access to federally assisted transportation contracting opportunities within the state.

The study, which is required by U.S. Department of Transportation, is designed to determine whether there is an inequity between the utilization of women- and minority-owned businesses and the demographics of the general business community. The study will also examine if Disadvantaged Business Enterprise businesses are awarded a proper percentage of contracts based on their availability to perform transportation-related work.

The study will further examine ADOT’s contracting practices and policies to determine how well they promote equal opportunities in awarding contracts. The results of this study will help ADOT set annual Disadvantaged Business Enterprise goals for federally funded projects, as well as reinforce efforts to help Disadvantaged Business Enterprise businesses fairly compete for transportation contracts.

ADOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program has had success in reaching out to the minority-owned business community to educate them on how they can manage their small businesses and better compete for transportation contracts through training workshops, conferences and educational material made available online.

Business owners, trade associations and community groups throughout the state will have the opportunity to participate in the study and provide comments about their experiences related to transportation work or assisting women- and minority-owned businesses. Throughout the spring, the study team will be contacting businesses by phone to collect information about their availability for different types of ADOT contracts. 

This is the second disparity study conducted by ADOT. The first study was completed in 2009 as a result of a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case and U.S. Department of Transportation guidance that disparity studies must be completed before Disadvantaged Business Enterprise goals on transportation contracts can be set.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is hosting a major conference offering business tips and tools to owners of companies that qualify under ADOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program.

The DBE Central Arizona Conference, which is the largest DBE conference in Arizona, will feature 16 workshops, networking activities and one-on-one time with experts in areas such as banking, insurance and bonding, marketing and consulting to provide strategies DBE business owners can use to enhance their businesses.

The workshops are designed to engage women-owned, minority-owned, and socially and economically disadvantaged businesses involved in the highway construction industry. This event will provide businesses with the necessary tools to compete for contracting opportunities on Federal-aid transportation projects. Ultimately, the conference will help continue to build a framework for increased opportunities for contracting on transportation-related design and construction projects.

Although this conference is geared toward DBE businesses, this event is open to all small and large businesses, public agencies, vendors and community partners with an interest in the transportation industry.

The conference will be held in Phoenix at the Desert Willow Conference Center on Sept. 19.

For more information visit ADOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program or contact the ADOT Business Engagement and Compliance Office at 602.712.7761.