Disadvantage and Small Business Enterprise Certification Services

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is soliciting proposals for professional and support services to process and evaluate certification applications for the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Airport Concessionaire Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE), and Small Business Enterprise (SBE) programs, with proposals due September 8, 2026. This is a race-neutral Small Business Enterprise set-aside under 49 CFR Section 26.39 — only certified SBE firms are eligible to bid as prime contractors.

SBE participants must perform a commercially useful function by executing at least 30 percent of the total contract cost with their own workforce. The scope includes processing new and amended certification applications; conducting virtual and in-person on-site interviews across Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, and San Diego counties; preparing certification summary reports with approval or denial recommendations; and providing technical assistance to applicants. The contractor must analyze applications under 49 CFR Part 26 and 23, conduct quarterly compliance meetings with Metro staff, and submit monthly certification activity reports. All work must maintain compliance with Metro's Information Security Policy; the contractor must secure and maintain office space and filing systems for confidential business information.

The contract term is five years with no renewal options. Services are structured on a Firm Fixed Unit Rates basis across fourteen service categories differentiated by business entity type (sole proprietorships and partnerships/limited liability companies/corporations) and service complexity, with hourly estimates ranging from one to six hours per category. Technical assistance, monthly reporting, and quarterly meetings are fixed-rate line items. Pricing must be submitted for all five contract years on the Schedule of Quantities & Prices exhibit.

Evaluation consists of two phases: Phase I establishes pass/fail minimum qualifications requiring demonstrable experience of at least five years analyzing certification documentation under DBE and SBE programs, with key personnel from prime and subcontractors holding five years of direct experience analyzing complete applications, conducting site reviews, reviewing personal net worth, and providing technical assistance. Phase II applies weighted evaluation criteria: Prime Contractor Qualifications (Skills and Experience) 35 percent; Effectiveness of Management Plan/Understanding of Work and Appropriateness of Approach 35 percent; and Price Proposal 30 percent. Pre-qualification is required for primes and first-tier subcontractors whose bids exceed $500,000. A virtual pre-proposal conference is scheduled for August 18, 2026 at 2:30 p.m. via Microsoft Teams (recommended but not mandatory). Proposals are submitted electronically to bids@metro.net by 2:00 p.m. on September 8, 2026. The contract is federally funded and subject to fiscal-year funding availability.