The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently awarded 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands $10 million in Fiscal Year 2022 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise/Supportive Services (DBE/SS) program funding.
The program supports small businesses owned by minorities, women, and other socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Funding can be used to provide training and business development services to eligible small businesses to improve their ability to compete as prime and subcontractors on federally assisted contracts.
The FHWA distributes DBE/SS funds based on statements of work submitted by departments of transportation and an administrative formula. This year, six states and territories declined funding. Their portion was redistributed among the remaining recipients.
“The historic funding being provided for workforce development, training, and education activities, coupled with the guidance we’re announcing today, will help provide economic opportunities to millions of talented people who will help deliver bridge, road, and highway projects that will make travel safer and more efficient for communities across this country in the generation to come,” FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt said.
The FHWA also provides new guidance to clarify which transportation departments can use federal-aid formula funds to support workforce development, including training, education, and registered apprenticeships.