The Caltrans Office of Local Civil Compliance (LCC) collaborates with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Caltrans Office of Civil Rights (OCR), and each of the 12 Caltrans Districts to provide oversight and guidance to Local Public Agencies (LPAs) in appropriate Civil Rights application and compliance for federally funding projects.
This page is specifically for information pertaining to the four programs falling under our purview: Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VI, and Equal Employment Opportunity. The LCC also provides updates to Chapter 9 of the Local Assistance Procedures Manual and provides training for both LPAs and Caltrans staff.
Should you have questions about this information, please contact your District staff or email local.compliance@dot.ca.gov
Check out the most recent policies, news, updates, and trainings listed below.
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program: Role & Responsibilities for Local Public Agencies
by Caltrans Division of Local Assistance
As recipients of federal funding, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Local Assistance (DLA) and California Local Public Agencies are responsible for the oversight, monitoring, enforcement, and reporting of all aspects of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program in accordance with 49 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) Part 26.
Local Public Agencies can access the Caltrans Memo DBE Roles & Responsibilities of LPAs below to meet their roles and responsibilities in administering the DBE program on federally funded projects.
Contact Division of Local Assistance Local Civil Compliance Chief Pauline Valenzuela.
Caltrans Disparity Study – Public Engagement Sessions 2024
by Caltrans Division of Local Assistance
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has commissioned BBC Research & Consulting to conduct a disparity study to assess whether minority and woman-owned businesses face any barriers as part of Caltrans’s contracting processes. The October 2024 public engagement sessions will provide information about the study, answer questions, and collect insights about business conditions in the California marketplace, which will be integrated into the disparity study.
Information from the two remaining virtual public engagement sessions will help Caltrans assess its efforts to encourage the participation of minority and woman-owned businesses in local contracts and helps inform any refinements that Caltrans might make to its implementation of the Federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program.
Register to attend one of the free session for 2024:
- October 1st – 9:30 am PT
- October 1st – 5:30 am PT
Learn more about the Caltrans Civil Rights Disparity Study.
Contact Caltrans Office of Civil Rights Edwin Bragado for comments or questions.
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program Regulation Changes & Webinars
by Caltrans Division of Local Assistance
US DOT Issues Changes to Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program Regulations
April 9, 2024, the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued a final rule that modernizes the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program and Airport Concessions DBE (ACDBE) program regulations. The major objectives of this final rule include modernizing existing principles to: improve provisions for the benefit of program participants, reduce burdens on firms and recipients, grow firm capacity and owner wealth, and improve program integrity, visibility, and data collected by the USDOT.
Key Changes affecting California’s Local Public Agencies (LPA):
• Prompt Payment
• Good Faith Effort Procedures
• Goal Setting: DBE Supplier Credit & DBE Decertification/Participation Credit
• Compliance Monitoring: Running Tally & Commercially Useful Function
• Bidders List Data Collection
• Uniform Report Data Collection
• DBE Certification
USDOT Free Webinar Series
The Final Rule Webpage will house the session recording and PowerPoint presentation following the webinar.
Caltrans Office of Civil Rights and the Division of Local Assistance (DLA) are closely reviewing the changes made by the DBE Program Final Rule and are developing an implementation workplan, including updating guidance in the Local Assistance Procedures Manual (LAPM). Over the next several months, DLA Office Bulletins will announce updated guidance to the LAPM regarding the DBE Program. The changes will reflect the new regulations from the Final Rule, as well as clarify and enhance the DBE program regulations and guidance for LPA’s.
To stay informed on DBE Program changes, visit the DLA Blog and enter contact information in the right side column to receive weekly email announcements of news, trainings, and resources.
For details on the DBE and ACDBE Final Rule, please visit Federal Highway Administration’s DBE and ACDBE Final Rule website.
Please contact a District Local Assistance Engineer or DBE Coordinator for additional assistance.