Write Up:

MoDOT supports diversity among its contractors, subcontractors and suppliers. Construction projects that receive federal aid or federal financial participation must take reasonable steps to ensure that disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) have an opportunity to compete and participate in project contracts and subcontracts.

The overall DBE target goal is 12.45%. For federal fiscal year 2024, the DBE participation rate is 12.03%, which represents a 0.06% decrease from FFY 2023. Of the 12.03% utilization, 9.59% comes from women-owned, non-minority DBE firms, 0.64% from minority women-owned DBE firms and 1.80% from minority-owned DBE firms. The collective goals set for projects closed during this period amounted to 6.89%, while the DBE goals set for projects awarded during this period had committed DBE participation of 10.52%. To narrow the gap between the target and actual performance, MoDOT is conducting outreach meetings to encourage new firms to apply for DBE certification and using DBE supportive services funding to expand the capacity of certified DBE firms.

The table above provides a detailed overview of the number of projects closed during the reporting period, indicating the number of projects that have met the DBE goal and those that have not. For the third quarter of FFY 2024, 64 projects were closed of which 87.50% met or exceeded the DBE goal. However, of the eight projects that did not meet the goal, five were due to underruns and three were due to DBEs unable to complete all or part of their subcontract due to scheduling conflicts.

Purpose of the Measure:

This measure tracks the percent of DBE firms used on construction and engineering projects. 

Measurement and Data Collection:

Data is collected through AASHTOWare Projects for each construction and consultant project. The overall DBE goal is an annual target established by MoDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) outlining the expected total DBE participation on all federally funded construction and consultant projects. Individual DBE project goals are determined by subcontract opportunity, project location and available DBE firms that can perform the scope of work. DBE utilization is tracked for each project identifying the prime contractor, contract amount, established goal and how the prime contractor fulfilled the goal. This measure is based on the federal fiscal year. The collection of all data in this system began in April 2014.

The target for this measure is set by FHWA policy and is updated every three years.