Accepted Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Directories
To meet disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) good faith efforts, municipalities and their prime contractors must solicit DBEs that are certified on one of the accepted directories below when procuring construction work, equipment, raw materials or supplies for a project.
Each state has a unified certification program (UCP) that certifies businesses as disadvantaged under the same requirements as the EPA DBE requirements. Wisconsin's Department of Transportation (WisDOT) has the most readily available list of certified DBEs for projects taking place in Wisconsin. For projects located close to one of the states adjacent to Wisconsin, it may be helpful to search the adjacent state's department of transportation UCP.
U.S. Small Business Administration
search.certifications.sba.gov/advanced/
Must be an entity certified as an 8(a) or 8(a) joint venture, a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), an Economically-Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), or a self-certified Small Disadvantaged Business.
To see all the entities certified that meet these criteria, click "SBA certifications", then select "8(a)" or "8(a) Joint Venture, Women-Owned Small Business, and Economically-Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business". To see the self-certified small disadvantaged businesses, clear the filters, then click "Business type", then "Self-Certified Small Disadvantaged Business". Users can further filter by location.
Unified Certification Programs
On Sept. 30, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced changes to the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program. The interim final rule, which became effective Oct. 3, 2025, removes race- and sex-based presumptions of disadvantage and requires all DBE firms to undergo recertification. Until the recertification is complete, many of the UCPs listed below are offline.
Wisconsin
wisconsindot.gov/pages/doing-bus/civil-rights/dbe/certified-firms.aspx
Illinois
Minnesota
Michigan
https://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/MUCPWeb/welcome.htm
Please copy and paste the above link into your browser tab.
Iowa
https://iowadot.gov/about/civil-rights/disadvantaged-business-enterprise-program-dbe
DBE Compliance
See the Contract Packet for DBE Compliance (PUB-CF-029) for further information. This document includes instructions that apply to ALL municipalities and projects being funded through the Clean Water Fund Program or the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program.
Contact information
For information on this topic, contact:
Casey Sweeney, DBE specialist