Program updates
This page was last updated October 13, 2025
DBE and valued partners
On Friday, Oct. 3, the Trump Administration announced significant changes to the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program – a program that is critical to ensure we have a broad and diverse base of contracting working on federally funded MnDOT projects across the state.
The US DOT issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that mandates states remove race and gender presumptions that help businesses qualify as DBEs and requires all currently certified DBE firms to individually demonstrate social and economic disadvantage, without regard to race or sex, if they want to re-qualify as a DBE.
MnDOT is actively reviewing this direction and assessing the options we have to both stay true to our values and successfully deliver a multimodal transportation system that maximizes the health of people, the environment and our economy. While we don’t have all the answers today, we will remain in touch as we navigate this large change.
Thank you.