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Department of Social and Economic Mobility

DBE and ACDBE Certification Reevaluation Updates

Program Update |
Updated:

Your Federal DBE/ACDBE Certification Is No Longer Active — Here Is How to Restore It

Sent Jun 12, 2026

Your federal DBE/ACDBE certification is no longer active. Here is what you need to do to be relisted in Maryland’s DBE/ACDBE directory.

Governor Wes Moore

Lt. Governor Aruna Miller

Secretary Walter L. Simmons

Dear Maryland Business,

As of October 3, 2025, your Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and/or Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) certification is no longer active in Maryland. This is the result of a federal mandate requiring all certified DBE and ACDBE firms to be reevaluated under new eligibility standards. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Transportation now requires every owner seeking DBE/ACDBE certification to demonstrate individualized social and economic disadvantage.

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SUBMITTED YOUR REEVALUATION APPLICATION, NO FURTHER ACTION IS NEEDED AT THIS TIME.

Until your certification reevaluation is complete, your firm is ineligible to participate in Maryland’s DBE and ACDBE programs.

OMBE is accepting reevaluation applications now, on a rolling basis. Every day without a completed submission is a day your firm remains ineligible. Submit as soon as possible — OMBE reviews applications in the order they are received.

TO COMPLETE YOUR REEVALUATION, SUBMIT THE BELOW DOCUMENTS THROUGH B2G:

  1. Personal Narrative — A written account of specific experiences you have faced in education, employment, or business that demonstrate your individual social and economic disadvantage. Note: Identifying your race or gender alone is no longer sufficient. Your narrative must describe specific, individual experiences. Please refer to OMBE’s Personal Narrative Guidance - PDF for more information.
  2. Personal Net Worth (PNW) Statement — A current PNW Statement documenting your personal assets and liabilities, evaluated against the $2,047,000 eligibility threshold established in 49 CFR § 26.68. Required supporting documents include bank statements, brokerage and investment account statements, retirement account statements, mortgage statements, vehicle loan statements, and homeowners' insurance documentation. All supporting documents must be uploaded in B2G alongside the completed PNW Statement form.

IMPORTANT: If your firm has multiple owners, each owner whose ownership is relied upon to constitute the 51% majority must submit their own individual Personal Narrative and PNW Statement. These may not be shared or submitted jointly.

HOW TO SUBMIT

(B2G is the only accepted method of submission — email, mail, and in-person submissions will not be reviewed):

  1. Log in to B2G at marylandmdbe.mdbecert.com
  2. Under "Key Actions," select "Renew/Apply for Certification"
  3. Select "You are an Existing DBE and you would like to submit for reevaluation"
  4. Select "Submit a 2025 Reevaluation Application"
  5. Upload your Personal Narrative and PNW Statement with all supporting documentation
  6. Submit your application and retain your submission confirmation

Ensure you select "Submit a 2025 Reevaluation Application" at Step 4. Selecting a different application type will delay processing.

For the full reevaluation guidance and Personal Narrative instructions, visit economicmobility.maryland.gov.

Sincerely,

Maryland Department of Social and Economic Mobility

100 Community Place, 4th Floor

Crownsville, MD 21032

Is Your ACDBE Certification Reevaluation Application Ready? Are you prepared to submit a Personal Narrative and current Personal Net Worth (PNW) Statement?

Sent Jun 26, 2026

Airport concession opportunities and DBE/ACDBE goal setting will resume in Fiscal Year 2027. Your ACDBE certification must be reevaluated and approved if you wish to continue participating in Maryland’s DBE/ACDBE program.

Governor Wes Moore

Lt. Governor Aruna Miller

Secretary Walter L. Simmons

Dear Maryland Business,

Maryland is conducting mandatory reevaluations of all certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) firms. Maryland ACDBE-certified firms must act now to ensure continued eligibility for the program.

On October 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) requiring all certified Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) firms to be reevaluated under new eligibility criteria. As a result, your ACDBE certification is no longer active, and your firm will no longer count toward Maryland’s ACDBE participation goals until your reevaluation is complete.

The Office of Minority Business Enterprise (OMBE) is processing reevaluation applications on a first-come, first-served basis. Every day without a completed submission is a day your firm remains ineligible. Submit your reevaluation application now to ensure your firm is prepared to compete for contracting opportunities when Maryland resumes its DBE/ACDBE programs.

TO COMPLETE YOUR REEVALUATION, SUBMIT THESE DOCUMENTS THROUGH B2G:

  1. Personal Narrative (PN) — A detailed written account of specific barriers you have faced in education, employment, or business that demonstrate your individual social and economic disadvantage. Note: identifying your race or gender alone is not sufficient. Your narrative must describe specific, individual experiences. A Personal Narrative guidance document is available on DoSEM’s website using the link below:

https://economicmobility.maryland.gov/Documents/OMBE-Personal-Narrative-Guidance-USDOT-IFR.pdf - PDF

  1. Personal Net Worth (PNW) Statement — A current PNW Statement documenting your personal assets and liabilities, evaluated against the $2,047,000 eligibility threshold at 49 CFR § 26.68. Your PNW Statement must document your individual personal assets and liabilities as of the time of your application. The PNW Statement form is available for download and submission in B2G.

IMPORTANT: All qualifying owners whose ownership and control are relied upon to constitute the 51% majority ownership of the firm must each submit an individual Personal Narrative and a current Personal Net Worth Statement. For example, if your firm is owned by 5 people who each own 20%, then at least 3 of those owners must submit a Personal Narrative and Personal Net Worth Statement. These may not be shared or submitted jointly.

HOW TO SUBMIT (B2G is the only accepted method — email, mail, and in-person submissions are not accepted):

  1. Log in at marylandmdbe.mdbecert.com
  2. Under "Key Actions," select "Renew/Apply for Certification"
  3. Select "You are an Existing DBE and you would like to submit for reevaluation"
  4. Select "Submit a 2026 Reevaluation Application"
  5. Upload your Personal Narrative and PNW Statement with all supporting documentation

***Ensure you select "Submit a 2026 Reevaluation Application" at Step 4. Selecting a different application type will delay processing.***

For more information, including a full FAQ on the DBE/ACDBE reevaluation process, visit economicmobility.maryland.gov.

Sincerely,

Maryland Department of Social and Economic Mobility

100 Community Place, 4th Floor

Crownsville, MD 21032

Your DBE/ACDBE Reevaluation Application - Next Steps

Sent Aug 10, 2026

Your DBE/ACDBE Reevaluation Application - Next Steps

Governor Wes Moore

Lt. Governor Aruna Miller

Secretary Walter L. Simmons

Dear Maryland Business,

As Maryland’s DBE/ACDBE program moves through reevaluation under the federal Interim Final Rule, we want to make sure every firm knows exactly what a complete Reevaluation Application includes before submitting.

A complete application includes two components:

1. Personal Narrative

A written account of specific experiences you have faced in education, employment, or business that demonstrate your individual social and economic disadvantage.

Note: Identifying your race or gender alone is no longer sufficient. Your narrative must describe specific, individual experiences. See OMBE’s Personal Narrative Guidance - PDF for detailed instructions.

2. Personal Net Worth (PNW) Statement

A current PNW Statement documenting your personal assets and liabilities, evaluated against the $2,047,000 eligibility threshold established in 49 CFR § 26.68. Include supporting financial documents that verify the information in the worksheets. All documents – the PNW Statement form and its supporting materials – must be uploaded together in B2G.

Multiple Owners? If your firm has more than one owner, each owner whose ownership is relied upon to constitute the 51% majority must submit their own individualPersonal Narrative and Personal Net Worth Statement. These cannot be shared or submitted jointly.

HOW TO SUBMIT

B2G is the only accepted method – email, mail, and in-person submissions will not be reviewed.

  1. Log in to B2G at marylandmdbe.mdbecert.com
  2. Under “Key Actions,” select “Renew/Apply for Certification”
  3. Select “You are an Existing DBE and you would like to submit for reevaluation”
  4. Select “Submit a 2025 Reevaluation Application” – selecting a different application type will delay processing
  5. Upload your Personal Narrative and PNW Statement with all supporting documentation
  6. Submit your application and retain your confirmation

Full reevaluation guidance is available at economicmobility.maryland.gov.

Sincerely,

Office of Minority Business Enterprise

Maryland Department of Social and Economic Mobility

DBE/ACDBE Interstate Reevaluation Recognition Notice

Sent Aug 27, 2026

This notice applies to firms whose jurisdiction of original certification (JOC) is a state other than Maryland, and whose JOC has completed its IFR reevaluation and recertified your firm.

Governor Wes Moore

Lt. Governor Aruna Miller

Secretary Walter L. Simmons

Dear Maryland Business,

Several states have completed their federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) reevaluations pursuant to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Interim Final Rule (IFR), effective October 3, 2025. If your firm’s jurisdiction of original certification (JOC) is one of these states and your firm has been recertified under the IFR’s new eligibility standards, you may now apply to the Office of Minority Business Enterprise (OMBE) for interstate certification to be listed in Maryland’s DBE/ACDBE directory.

WHO THIS APPLIES TO

This notice applies to firms whose jurisdiction of original certification (JOC) is a state other than Maryland, and whose JOC has completed its IFR reevaluation and recertified your firm.

HOW TO SUBMIT

  1. Log in to the Maryland Certification Management System using your firm’s existing account.
  2. From the dashboard, select “Renew/Apply for Certification.”
  3. Select the option stating:“ You are an existing DBE and your Jurisdiction of Original Certification is outside of Maryland.”
  4. Under the “Submit a 2025 Re-evaluation Application” upload option, attach the following documents:
  • A cover letter requesting interstate certification with Maryland, identifying all UCPs in which your firm is currently certified (including your JOC and your JOC anniversary date);
  • An electronic image of your JOC’s current UCP directory listing showing your firm’s active certification;
  • A completed Declaration of Eligibility (DOE); and
  • If available, a recertification letter or other documentation from your JOC confirming your firm’s certification has been reevaluated under the USDOT IFR, dated after October 3, 2025.
  • Electronically sign and submit the application.

Firms should not create a new account or submit a new initial DBE application. The submission must be completed through the firm’s existing portal account.

QUESTIONS

If you have questions about interstate certification or required documentation, email OMBE at [email protected]with the subject line "Interstate Certification Question."

For the latest updates, visit economicmobility.maryland.gov.

Sincerely,

Office of Minority Business Enterprise

Maryland Department of Social and Economic Mobility

Update: DBE/ACDBE Reevaluation Process and Rolling Submissions

Sent Sep 9, 2026

Update: DBE/ACDBE Reevaluation Process and Rolling Submissions

Governor Wes Moore

Lt. Governor Aruna Miller

Secretary Walter L. Simmons

Dear Maryland Business,

As Maryland’s DBE/ACDBE program continues through reevaluation under the federal Interim Final Rule (IFR), the Office of Minority Business Enterprise (OMBE) wants to make sure every previously certified firm understands the reevaluation process and has an opportunity to submit.

WHAT IS THE IFR REEVALUATION PROCESS?

Under the USDOT’s Interim Final Rule—effective October 3, 2025—all state DBE/ACDBE programs were required to pause certification of new firms and reevaluate currently certified firms under new eligibility standards, including updated Personal Net Worth (PNW) documentation and Personal Narrative requirements. OMBE has been processing applications on an ongoing basis and issuing determinations as reviews are completed.

THE APRIL 3, 2026 SUBMISSION DATE

We are currently processing submissions received before April 3. If your firm has not yet submitted a 2025 Reevaluation Application, it is not too late. OMBE continues to accept reevaluation applications on a rolling basis. If your firm was previously certified as a DBE or ACDBE and has not yet submitted, we strongly encourage you to do so as soon as possible.

HOW TO SUBMIT

B2G is the only accepted method of submission - email, mail, and in-person submissions will not be reviewed.

  1. Log in to B2G at marylandmdbe.mdbecert.com
  2. Under “Key Actions,” select “Renew/Apply for Certification”
  3. Select “You are an Existing DBE and you would like to submit for reevaluation”
  4. Select Submit a 2025 Reevaluation Application – selecting a different application type will delay processing
  5. Upload your Personal Narrative and PNW Statement with all supporting documentation
  6. Submit your application and retain your confirmation

GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS

For more information on completing your reevaluation application, please refer to the following resources on OMBE’s website:

QUESTIONS

OMBE remains committed to supporting Maryland’s DBE/ACDBE community through this process. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected] with the subject line “IFR Certification Reevaluation Question.”

For the latest updates, visit economicmobility.maryland.gov.

Sincerely,

Office of Minority Business Enterprise

Maryland Department of Social and Economic Mobility