OFFICE OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
In March of 1999, a new DBE regulation [49 CFR Parts 26 and 23 (Airport Concessions)] took effect and revamped the U.S. Department of Transportation's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program and imposed requirements on states to narrowly tailor their DBE programs and establish Unified Certification Programs (UCPs).
Under the DBE regulation all recipients in each state of funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation's (U.S. DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) were required to band together and implement a Unified Certification Program (UCP) that will provide "one-stop-shopping" for DBEs.
"One-stop-shopping" means that an applicant for DBE certification in a state will file only one application and go through one certification review to achieve DBE certification that will be recognized by all recipients of FAA, FHWA and FTA funds in the state. Each state has its own UCP.
The Pennsylvania UCP consists of all recipients in Pennsylvania receiving funds from the FAA, FHWA or FTA. Some PA UCP Members are "Certifying" Members while others PA UCP Members are "Non-Certifying" Members. In Pennsylvania, prospective DBEs can select from any of the following five Certifying Partners to obtain certification:
Benefits of the PA UCP
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All DOT recipients in Pennsylvania are members of the PA UCP. |
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Mandatory reciprocity is a component of the Pennsylvania UCP. Accordingly, once you are certified by any of the above agencies, all recipients of FAA, FHWA or FTA funds in Pennsylvania will recognize your DBE certification. |
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The PA UCP offers a customer-friendly process intended to streamline the certification process. Under the PA UCP, one application form, one process, and one decision enables eligible firms to participate as a DBE anywhere in Pennsylvania. |
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Prime Contractors will find ease of use with one unified DBE Directory to locate DBEs certified by the PA UCP for all projects funded by FAA, FHWA or FTA. The Directory will be available on the Internet and in print. |
For more information:
Visit the PA UCP Website: http://www.paucp.com/UCP/HomePageServlet
or contact:
Allegheny County Dept. of MBE/WBE/DBE
204 County Office Building
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: 412-350-4309 or
412-350-4915
E-Mail: webmaster.MWDBE@county.allegheny.pa.us
PA Department of Transportation (PENNDOT)
P.O. Box 3251
Harrisburg, PA 17105-3251
Phone: 717-787-5891 or
717-772-4026
E-Mail: penndotucpinfo@state.pa.us
Port Authority of Allegheny County
345 Sixth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Phone: 412-566-5257 or
412-237-7237
E-Mail: egreene@portauthority.org
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
1234 Market Street
Tenth Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215-580-7278 or
215- 563-9359
E-Mail: info@SEPTA.org
City of Philadelphia Minority Business Enterprise Council
1401 JFK Blvd. MSB Building, Suite 330
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: 215-686-6232 or
215-686-3878
E-Mail: http://www.phila.gov/MBEC
Press Release
Launch of the Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program
The Delaware River Port Authority is pleased to announce the launch of the Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program (PA UCP) in accordance with the United States Department of Transportation’s (US DOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Regulation, 49 CFR Parts 26 & 23. Under the DBE Regulation, all recipients of funds from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in each state are required to create and implement a Unified Certification Program (UCP) for the certification of disadvantaged businesses. PA UCP Taskforce members have met over the past two years to develop and implement Pennsylvania’s Unified Certification Program.
Formal approval of the PA UCP Agreement was received from the US DOT on January 20, 2004. The PA UCP Agreement outlines how Pennsylvania’s UCP will operate and function. Any recipient of Federal Aviation, Federal Transit, or Federal Highways funds who will have over $250,000 in contracting opportunities must belong to the PA UCP and use the PA UCP DBEs for their program. Based on funding, entities may or may not participate from year to year.
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 now are certified by the PA UCP instead of having a certification from a specific agency. Prospective DBEs can select from any of the following five agencies, known as Certifying Participants (CPs), to obtain certification:
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Allegheny County M/W/DBE Department |
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Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) |
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Port Authority of Allegheny County |
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Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) |
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City of Philadelphia, Minority Business Enterprise Council |
The PA UCP provides “one-stop-shopping” for certification of DBE applicants. 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 Federal Aviation, Federal Highway, and Federal Transit funds in Pennsylvania. Once certified by the PA UCP, all recipients of FAA, FHWA, or FTA funds in Pennsylvania will recognize that certification. Mandatory reciprocity among the CPs 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 the website and download certification applications and instructions.
It is expected that there will be increased opportunities for all firms who participate in the PA UCP because of the impact of mandatory reciprocity for all FAA, FHWA, and FTA funds. In the past, firms had to go through an arduous process of becoming certified by individual federal aid recipients and this diverted resources from business opportunities due to the voluminous certification paperwork required by each agency.
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 System (NAICS) code. In addition, firms can be located within the PA UCP website by name, and type of work performed. This will enable primes and other organizations to more quickly access information specific to their needs.
For more information, please contact Michael Schirmer, Director of DBE Supportive Services, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, P. O Box 527, Cheyney, PA 19319-0200 or at 610-399-2206.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why does the Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program (PA UCP) exist?
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In March 1999, new Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (49 Code of Federal Register (CFR), Parts 26 and 23 (Airport Concessions) ) regulations were issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) that revamped the US DOT's Disadvantaged Business program and imposed requirements on all state recipients of funds from U.S. DOT's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to band together to develop and implement a Unified Certification Program. (UCP) PA UCP Taskforce members have met over the past two years to develop and implement the UCP. Formal approval of the PA UCP program was received from the US DOT on January 20, 2004. The US DOT regulations affect all states. http://osdbuweb.dot.gov/business/dbe/index.html#reg |
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Who must belong to the PA UCP?
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All United States Department of Transportation recipients who receive funds from the Federal Aviation, Highway, and Transit Administrations and who will have over $250,000 in Federal assisted contracting opportunities must comply with the 49 CFR, Part 26 requirements to sign an agreement to establish a Unified Certification Program in their respective state. 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. |
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How does the PA UCP affect DBEs who want to get certified?
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The PA UCP provides "one-stop shopping" for certification for DBE applicants. Prospective DBEs can select from any of the following five agencies, known as Certifying Participants (CPs), 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 Federal Aviation, Federal Highway, and Federal Transit funds in PA. |
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Is there a cost to become certified?
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No, certification is free. There is no charge to the DBE applicant. |
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What happened to DBEs who were previously certified by federal recipients of aviation, transit, and transportation funds?
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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 now are certified by the PA UCP instead of having a certification from a specific agency. |
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What is the advantage of the PA UCP to DBEs?
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Once certified by the PA UCP, all recipients of Federal Aviation, Federal Highway, or Federal Transit 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 the website and download certification applications and instructions. |
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How do prime contractors benefit?
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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 projected 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. |
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Is there any way to tell if the DBEs in the PA UCP directory are a Minority- or Woman-owned Business?
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Yes. We have provided a sub-category of Minority Business and Woman Business Designation. Although this designation is not needed for federal purposes, it allows entities that wish to use these firms to include them in other programs that require an M/WBE designation. This function can provide more business opportunities to the firms in the PA UCP. |
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Will there still be Minority and Woman Business certification programs for non-federally funded programs administered by agencies?
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Individual agencies will still have M/WBE programs that require different processes and are administered under the auspices of the individual agency. The PA UCP only affects firms to be used for federal-aid projects. |
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Can other agencies use the DBEs that are certified under the PA UCP?
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The PA UCP directory will be on line and available in print. It can be used by entities, public and private, that are seeking firms that have been certified under the strict standards of 49 CFR, Parts 26 and 23. In fact, more opportunities are created for firms if entities that do not have the resources to perform certification wish to use the PA UCP database. |
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Is there a point person for the PA UCP?
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The PA UCP has engaged Mr. Michael Schirmer, Director of the DBE Supportive Services Center at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, to be the project manager and continue the initiative that began over two years ago. If an organization wishes additional information on the PA UCP, Mr. Schirmer can be reached toll free at 877-736-6323 or by email: mschirmer@cheyney.edu |
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