Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Indiana DOT launch joint DBE Exchange program

KY News - Published Jul 09, 2018

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) recently jointly launched DBE Exchange, a program designed to allow disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) to work on transportation projects receiving federal funding across both states while working under the auspices of a single certification.

The partnership is slated to last for one year - from July 1st, 2018 to June 30th, 2019 - with the option to then extend the program for another four years. During this time period, KYTC and INDOT will honor the DBE certifications made by each of the two entities, rather than requiring DBEs to go through previously-established procedures for being certified in more than one state.

An INDOT presentation mentions a variety of construction projects upcoming for which the DBE Exchange program could assist DBEs seeking work, including the 1000 Bridges project, the I-69 Bridge project, and the Brent Spence Bridge project. Any other federally-assisted projects that take place during the year or years in which the DBE Exchange agreement is active will also be subject to the applicability of the agreement.

The reciprocity agreement establishing the DBE Exchange program states that the reciprocity allows DBEs from either state to work in the non-home-state on federally funded transportation projects, but differentiates this from interstate certification, saying that as DBEs will only be listed in the directories of their home states, it is not considered a grant of interstate certification as such. The DBE Exchange program also makes it clear that DBEs must be pre-qualified under the same requirements as obtained before the agreement establishing the program.

To learn more about the DBE Exchange, visit dbeexchange.com