Business Center: Office of Business Development

The mission of the Office of Business Development is to engage, support and assist the local disadvantaged business community to help ensure fair and representative participation in procurement opportunities at RTA and within the community at-large.

The primary function of the Office of Business Development (OBD) is to administer RTA’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program. In this regard, OBD certifies DBE firms to do business with RTA, establishes DBE goals on contracts, ensures that only bona fide DBE firms participate on RTA contracts, administers contracts in compliance federal regulations, and supports the DBE community through outreach, technical assistance, and serving as a liaison between RTA, DBE firms, prime contractors, and others including community organizations, contractor associations, and public officials.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Certification
  • Providing technical assistance to firms seeking certification
  • Performing desk audits on applications
  • Conducting on-site visits of firms requesting certification, to ensure eligibility standards are met
  • Determining eligibility of firms to participate in the DBE Program
  • Publish and regularly update a directory of certified DBE firms that are eligible to do business with RTA ,according to construction trades, professional services, and other supplier areas
• Contract Compliance
  • Participate in pre-bid and pre-award meetings between RTA personnel and contractors to ensure an understanding of contract obligations and that the requirements are met
  • Review DBE goals and utilization plans proposed by contractors
  • Evaluate payrolls and manpower utilization reports of prime contractors and subcontractors to ensure contract compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations regarding Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
• Monitoring
  • Monitor DBE attainment by contractors to include verification of information reporting on the program performance
  • Monitor, investigate and review prime contractor and subcontractor efforts to achieve compliance and applicable federal, state, and local agencies legislation
  • Perform periodic on-site visits to construction work projects to verify compliance with contract specifications and requirements indicated in the United States Department of Transportation regulations 49 CFR, Part 26
• Goal Setting
  • Contract Specific DBE Goal Determination: procurements are reviewed to establish DBE participation goals on contracts exceeding $25,000 based on identified subcontracting opportunities and ready, willing and available certified DBE firms.
  • Annual Overall DBE Goal Determination: RTA makes an annual estimate of the overall opportunity that will exist for DBE participation on contracts bid during the federal reporting period. This estimate becomes the overall DBE Goal for the federal fiscal year. The goal is calculated according to a methodology approved by the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) and it is submitted to the FTA for review and approval.
  
  
  
  • Contract Specific DBE Goal Determination
    To make this determination, OBD carefully examines the specific subcontracting opportunities inherent in the procurement, and the number of DBE firms available in each subcontracting category.
    • The DBE goal can be satisfied through the participation of one or more certified DBE firms as a prime contractor, joint venture partner, subcontractor, sub-consultant or supplier of goods and services; provided the firm is certified for the task at the time the contract is awarded.
    • A bidder that proposes to use DBE firms as subcontractors is required to respond to contract solicitations with specific information and documentation concerning proposed DBE firm participation.
    • A bidder is expected to make best effort to meet the DBE contract goal. When a bidder finds it is unable to meet the established DBE goal, it is required to document “good faith efforts.” The types of actions considered as part of a good faith effort include, but are not limited to the following:
      1. Adequate solicitation of minority subcontractors through all responsible and available means, with sufficient time for subcontractors to respond
      2. Selecting portions of the work to be performed in order to increase the likelihood that the goals will be achieved
      3. Providing interested potential subcontractors with adequate information about the plans specifications and requirements of the contract in a timely manner
      4. Not rejecting potential subcontractors as unqualified without sound reasons based on a thorough investigation of their capabilities
    • Only the participation of firms certified as DBE companies by RTA or Ohio Uniform Certification Program (UCP) is counted towards satisfaction of the DBE goal on a contract.
    • A bidder that at the time of execution of contract is found not to have exercised good faith, and fails to submit the required supporting documentation to demonstrate such good faith efforts or request a waiver or fails to otherwise properly address or respond to the DBE program requirements, may be deemed in noncompliance and ineligible for award of the contract.
    • Bidders that need assistance in identifying certified DBE firms to participate on contracts are encouraged to contact the Office of Business Development at 216-566-5044.
  
  
  
  • Annual Overall DBE Goal Determination
    The Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) for RTA runs from Sep 1 to Aug 31. For FFY 2006, RTA has proposed a 17 percent overall DBE goal for all federally assisted contract expenditures in excess of $25,000.
    • In establishing the annual overall DBE goal, staff consults and seeks input from community organizations and interested parties that could be expected to have information and data concerning the availability of disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged businesses.
    • A proposed annual overall DBE goal is calculated using a methodology approved by the FTA that considers the avalibility of ready, willing and able DBE firms to perform the work required on contracts RTA expects to award during the FFY, as compared to the overall availability of firms to perform such work.
    • The proposed goal is submitted to RTA Board of Trustees for consideration and approval. Once approved by the Board, the general public is informed of the proposed goal through a notice published in a newspaper of general circulation.
    • The proposed goal and its rationale are available for public inspection and comment at RTA during normal business hours for a period of 30 days following the notice.