Revised Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Goals. University-Based Research,Education and Technology Transfer Program

摘要

By September 1, 1999, PennDOT had to comply with the new regulation set forth in49 C.F.R. Part 26 by forwarding a revised Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program to the FHWA for its approval. PennDOT was directed to measure its local marketplace to ascertain the amount of participation they would expect DBEs to achieve absent discrimination and the effects of past discrimination. PennDOT was compelled to set an overall goal for USDOT-assisted contracts based upon the 'relative availability of DBEs,' which means the number of 'ready, willing and able DBEs relative to all business ready, willing and able to participate on DOT-assisted contracts.' This methodology and the overall goal had to be legally defensible, since the DBE program has spawned many lawsuits. The associated tasks for reaching set targets included legal and strategic assessment, variable identification and definition, information and data source identification, data review and documentation, goal setting (i.e., baseline goal development, adjustment goal development, and overall goal establishment), projections for race-neutral goal expectancies, development of a database-type tracking system, documentation of goal setting methodology, development of draft guidelines, and the establishment of a future plan to address goal and process modifications, data integration, automated tracking, and a model involving continuous and normative measurement processes. All target dates were achieved. The revised goal and methodology was touted by the USDOT as one of the most thorough works of its type in the nation The final DBE goal was established at 11.2 percent. The goal and associated methodological framework was used to determine specific contract agreement goals. A prototype computer application program for attending to spatial variables and setting construction contract goals was created. Likewise, a prototype application was created to track both bid and goal attainment activities.