The integrity and credibility of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program depends upon the establishment of systematic procedures to ensure that only bonafide firms owned and controlled by socially economically disadvantaged individuals participate in the DOT's DBE program. Therefore, ascertaining the eligibility of prospective DBE's is a critically important component of a State's DBE program. Those procedures established to fulfill this aspect of the DBE program are what is known as the Certification Process. This process consists of three sequential steps to certify that the prospective DBE is eligible to participate in the program.

The three steps are:

1. Collecting the specified and necessary information from the prospective DBE;
2. Applying the criteria for eligibility set forth in the State's program; and;
3. Certifying (or denying) that the prospective DBE is eligible to participate in the State DBE program.

Since its inception, the DOT's DBE program has required each State to establish a certification process. It was not until the passage of the 1987 STURAA and the promulgation of the October 21, 1987, regulations that DOT established a uniform certification process. The 1987 STURAA also requires the use of on site reviews and personal interviews as an integral part of the certification effort by the States. The State's certification procedures incorporated into its DBE program document reflects the certification criteria set forth in 49 CFR 26.