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EPA’ S Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Rule is Now in Effect

On May 25, 2008, EPA’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Rule became effective. This new regulation contains DBE provisions affecting procurement actions under all EPA financial assistance agreements (grants/cooperative agreements) awarded on or after May 27, 2008. EPA’s grant recipients, sub-recipients, and loan recipients (and the prime contractors of these three entities) are all subject to EPA’s DBE Rule and DBE Program requirements.

This DBE regulation also revises EPA’s Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) Program by renaming it the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program. Also, it modifies the MBE/WBE Program in ways that better ensure that recipients of EPA financial assistance and their prime contractors seek out, and wherever possible, utilize MBE, WBE, and other DBE firms when procuring services, equipment, supplies, and construction on EPA-funded projects.

The key functional components of the DBE Program are as follows:

These components are covered in detail in EPA’s DBE Rule Fact Sheets, in EPA’s DBE Program Manual, and in the full text of the Rule, all of which are accessible at www.epa.gov/osbp. Additional information can be found on Region 4’s Grants & Interagency Agreement Section’s homepage at www.epa.gov/region4/grants/index.htm.

Go to www.epa.gov/osbp to access and download:

If you have questions about EPA’s DBE Rule and program requirements, please contact:

Charles Hayes
Small Business Program Manager
EPA, Region 4
61 Forsyth Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30303-8960
Office: 404-562-8377 / Fax: 404-562-8210
Email: hayes.charles@epa.gov

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