The Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority has established a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program in accordance with regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), 49 CFR Part 26.  The Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority has received Federal financial assistance from the Department of Transportation, and as a condition of receiving this assistance, the Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority has signed an assurance that it will comply with 49 CFR Part 26.

Policy Statement

It is the policy of the Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority to ensure that DBEs, as defined in part 26, have an equal opportunity to receive and participate in DOT-assisted contracts.  It is also our policy –

• To ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of DOT-assisted contracts
• To create a level playing field on which the DBE Program is narrowly tailored in accordance with applicable law
• To ensure that only firms that fully meet 49 CFR Part 26 eligibility standards are permitted to participate as DBEs
• To help remove barriers to the participation of DBEs in DOT-assisted contracts
• To assist the development of firms that can compete successfully in the marketplace outside the DBE Program.

Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority will disseminate this policy statement to the Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority Board of Trustees and all the correct components of our organization.  We will distribute this statement to DBE and non-DBE business communities that perform work on DOT-assisted contracts, partners, and business communities of Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority. We include the statement in all bid and proposal documents and distribute copies of it to the bidders and proposers at all pre-bid/pre-proposal meetings for DOT assisted contracts. Information about our DBE program may also be obtained by contacting our DBELO by phone at 918-982-6882 or by our contact page.

Policy Goal

In accordance with requirements of the U.S Department of Transportation as set forth in 49 C.F. R. Part 26, as amended, Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority hereby notifies the public that it is recommending the following Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE) goal for applicable professional services, construction (general contracting), maintenance items, and procurement contracts during Federal Fiscal Years of 2015-2017 beginning October 1, 2014 and ending September 30, 2016. The overall total DBE goal for Federal Fiscal Year 2015-2017 is 3%. Information pertaining to this goal and a description of how it was selected is available for inspection by requesting  a copy by our contact page. The information will be available for 30 calendar days following the date of the publication of this notice. Written comments on this goal will be accepted for 45 calendar days from the data of publication of this notice. The comments are for informational purposes only and may be sent to Civil Rights Officer at 510 S. Rockford Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74120.

Certification

Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority is only allowed to use certified DBEs that are certified through the Unified Certification Program(ODOT). When setting our goal we discovered there are limited number of certain types of businesses on the state DBE certified list available to bid on Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority’s projects. MetroLink Tulsa has committed to work closely with the small businesses and ODOT to assist more small business to become DBE certified. If you would like more information please feel free to contact us at our contact page or by phone at 918-982-6882. You can also visit the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to download the necessary documents to gain certification.

DBE Liaison Officer

The Civil Rights Coordinator has been delegated as the DBE Liaison Officer.  In that capacity, the Civil Rights coordinator is responsible for implementing all aspects of the DBE program.  Implementation of the DBE program is accorded the same priority as compliance with all other legal obligations incurred by the Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority in its financial assistance agreements with the Department of Transportation.