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| Learn How to Become Certified |
| Disadvantaged businesses interested in being certified by the Michigan Unified
Certification Program (MUCP) must submit an application to one of the Certifying Agencies.
Instructions and applications are available for you convenience on this website and may be
printed. Applications may also be obtained by contacting any of the Certifying Agencies. |
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The application must be mailed or physically delivered to one of the Certifying Agencies.
The application must be signed and notarized. The application must also be complete and
include all of the supportive documentation. All applications will be reviewed and verified.
Additional information may be requested and an on-site interview will be conducted prior to a
final decision.
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The integrity of the DBE program depends, to a large extent, upon the establishment of
systematic procedures to ensure that only bona fide disadvantaged business firms are certified
to participate in federally assisted programs. In essence, only small firms independently owned
and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged persons are eligible to participate
in the US DOT?s DBE program. The MUCP will use the following standards in establishing the
eligibility of a DBE for certification in accordance with 49 CFR Part 26, formal US DOT guidance,
and US DOT interpretations of the regulations contained in their appeal decisions.
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Small Business Concern
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In order to be certified, a business must qualify as a small business concern as defined by the U.S.
Small Business Administration regulations, 13 CFR Part 121, as amended. The applicable size standard
for each applicant shall be determined by identifying the firm?s primary area of work, locating the
applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, and applying the corresponding
Small Business Administration (SBA) size standard. No business shall be considered small if average
annual gross receipts of the business and its affiliates exceed $17.42 million over the previous three
fiscal years, even though receipts do not exceed the threshold for the applicable NAICS code. This
maximum size standard is adjusted periodically to offset inflation.
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Social and Economic Disadvantage Status
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All applicants for DBE certification must submit a signed, notarized certification that the presumptively
disadvantaged owner is, in fact, socially and economically disadvantaged. Each individual whose
ownership and control are relied upon for DBE certification must submit a signed, notarized statement of
personal net worth (PNW), with appropriate supporting documentation. If the statement of PNW Form shows
the individual?s personal net worth exceeds $750,000, less the individual?s primary residence and the
interest in the applicant business, they will not qualify for this program.
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Ownership
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In establishing ownership, the MUCP is required by 49 CFR § 26.69 to consider all the facts in the record,
viewed as a whole. To be an eligible DBE, a firm must be at least 51 percent owned by a socially and
economically disadvantaged individual(s). To establish ownership, the socially and economically
disadvantaged owner(s) must have made a ?real and substantial? contribution to acquire their ownership
interest in the firm. All applicants for certification shall be required to establish the source of
their contribution(s) to acquire their ownership interest.
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Control
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Control, as defined in 49 CFR § 26.71, is comprised of three parts: operational control, managerial
control, and independence. To establish control, the disadvantaged owner(s) must have sufficient
expertise and authority, specifically in the firm?s field of operations, to control the overall destiny
and the day-to-day operations of the firm. Additionally, a firm must be an independent business whose
viability does not depend on its relationship with another firm or firms. The factors which will be
reviewed by MDOT in determining independence pursuant to 49 CFR § 26.71 include relationships with
non-DBE firms in areas such as personnel, facilities, equipment, financial and/or bonding support, and
other resources. The MUCP will grant certification only in the specific types of work in which the
disadvantaged owners have the ability to control the firm.
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The MUCP will not process an application for certification from a firm having its principal place of
business outside the state if the firm is not certified by the UCP in the state in which it maintains
its principal place of business.
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Please feel free to contact us with questions regarding the MUCP.
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