If you are a minority business in Georgia looking for a sound resource to help you learn how to do business with the Georgia Department Of Transportation consider GDOT’s  DBE program and attend their DBE Supportive Services State Conference. The three day conference takes place once a year and was hosted in Douglassville this year (August 25-27, 2015) by the GDOT. The conference has proven to be a solid resource to DBE’s in attendance and My Basic LLC is thankful to have been apart as a newly certified DBE (July 23 2015). If you couldn’t make it this year you have to make plans to attend in 2016.

The three day event (we’re at the end of day two) provided seasoned panelists from government and the private sector. They provided valuable information and some of topics they talked about include:

• Branding Your Business
• Doing Business With The Private Sector
• Access To Capital
• Financial Readiness
• Doing Business With GDOT
• And Several Other Important Topics

The panelists we were able to visit were very helpful, to find out the complete list visit: http://gdot-dbeconference.com/

Below are some of the highlight points we took from the classes we attended:

• Utilize  http://www.dot.ga.gov/PS/Business/DBE
• Network
• Build Relationships
• Make Sure Your Business Is Ready Before You Win The Contract To Do The Work
• If You Sub With A Prime Be Sure To Have A Signed Agreement In Place So Your DBE Business Can’t Get Swapped Out After A Prime Wins A Contract Because Of Your Business Credentials
• Be Proactive
• Learn, Practice What You Learn (Repeat)

 More about DBE from the Department Of Transportations website:

“The U.S. Department of Transportation’s DBE (disadvantaged business enterprise) program provides a vehicle for increasing the participation by MBEs in state and local procurement. DOT DBE regulations require state and local transportation agencies that receive DOT financial assistance, to establish goals for the participation of DBEs. Each DOT-assisted State and local transportation agency is required to establish annual DBE goals, and review the scopes of anticipated large prime contracts throughout the year and establish contract-specific DBE subcontracting goals.

In addition to establishing goals, state and local recipients also certify the eligibility of DBE firms to participate in DOT-assisted projects. Some groups are presumed to be socially and economically disadvantaged for the purposes of participation in this program. In 1987 Congress added women to the groups presumed to be disadvantaged. The main objectives of the DBE Program are:

• To ensure that small disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE) can compete fairly for federally funded transportation-related projects.
• To ensure that only eligible firms participate as DBEs.
• To assist DBE firms in competing outside the DBE Program.

– See more at: https://www.transportation.gov/osdbu/disadvantaged-business-enterprise