The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Office of Minority Business certified Immersive Concepts as a Maryland Minority Business Enterprise Program (MBE/DBE) participant. The MDE/DBE program was established to ensure that small, minority, and women-owned firms have the opportunity to participate fully and fairly in both state and U.S. DOT federally funded projects.

Although being MBE/DBE/SBE Certified cannot guarantee businesses will get awarded contracts with the State of Maryland’s Department of Transportation, the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Program encourages minority-owned firms to participate in the State procurement process and provides Small Business Goals to agencies which in turn provide opportunities to those certified firms.

Becoming certified as an MBE and/or DBE will expose Immersive Concepts opportunities on State and local government projects. The MDOT certification is accepted by most local county governments in support of their minority business inclusion efforts. Current MBE law requires agencies to make every effort to achieve an overall minimum goal of 29% of the total dollar value of their procurement contracts directly or indirectly from certified MBE firms. In furtherance of the State’s MBE initiative, each State agency reviews and assesses its procurements for supplies, services, maintenance, construction, and architectural/engineering contracts to determine an MBE participation goal appropriate for each contract.

MBE is a company-level ownership/diversity certification. MBE certifications are usually issued by the federal, state, or local government. Eligibility for certification as a Minority Business Enterprise varies depending on the issuer but generally requires that a company be owned and operated by a member of a minority group such as African American, Native American, Asian or Hispanic American. MBE certification is non-industry specific.

DBE is a company-level diversity certification. DBE certifications are usually issued at the state level through the state’s Department of Transportation and often used as a designation for companies that wish to bid on Department of Transportation contracts. Generally, for an organization to be eligible for certification as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, the company must be at least 51% owned by a socially and economically disadvantaged person. There may be additional requirements based on net worth or company size. DBE certification is usually intended for companies wishing to work on Department of Transportation contracts.

SBE is a company-level diversity certification. SBE certifications are usually issued by the local or state government. Eligibility for certification as a Small Business Enterprise varies depending on the issuer; requirements may relate to the number of employees, length of time the company has been in business and the net worth of the company’s owner. SBE certification is non-industry specific.

Businesses interested in learning more about the Maryland Department of Transportation’s MBE/SBE or DBE Program should visit https://www.mdot.maryland.gov/tso/pages/Index.aspx?PageId=90

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