In November 2021, President Joe Biden signed a much-anticipated $1.2 trillion infrastructure package to make new federal investments in a wide range of public systems over a five year period. According to an announcement made by The White House, this is considered a "once-in-a-generation investment in our nation's infrastructure and competitiveness."
The law includes $550 billion in new spending for public transit, passenger rail, bridges, water and sewer systems, high-speed internet, electric vehicle infrastructure, and investments in the electric grid to support the expansion of renewable energy.
The law provides infrastructure support to municipalities in the form of direct grants as well as funds that would pass through existing state programs. New programs that will provide direct funding to municipalities include $5 billion for a Safe Streets for All program and $5 billion for a competitive National Infrastructure Project Assistance program to allow communities to complete critical large projects that would otherwise be too expensive.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was one of two major infrastructure bills before Congress. The second, a $1.85 trillion spending package known as the Build Back Better plan, is currently going through Congress and includes investments in areas including workforce development, climate change mitigation and resilience, and affordable housing. The plan includes funding for technical assistance to local governments through a new Rural Partnership Program that’s intended to help small and rural communities that are often excluded from federal grant opportunities.
What does all this mean for DBE-certified companies? Opportunity.
With a concerted effort on investing in local infrastructure, there will be more project opportunites for state and DBE-certified companies to partner together to:
1. Repair and rebuild roads and bridges,
2. Improve public transportation options,
3. Build out a national network of EV chargers,
4. Protect current infrastructure against extreme weather events and climate change,
5. Develope a modernized infrastructure for airports across the U.S., and
6. So much more.
What does this mean for local DOTs? An infrastructure building boom. Which means resources will be needed, increasing the opportunity to invest in and partner with local DBE-certified companies to complete upgrades and the rebuilding of infrastructures.
Finding DBE-certified companies from state to state is not always easy but it is an area DBESearch.com specializes in. In fact, DBESearch’s mission is to solve this exact challenge by making it fast and simple to search, identify, and reach out to local, diverse subcontracting candidates.
DBESearch.com was launched earlier this year with a mission to combat and overcome the challenge of finding DBE-certified businesses – starting in New England and expanding across the U.S.
The two primary objectives we are hoping to achieve with DBESearch is to:
- Make it easier for non-DBE businesses and government agencies to search for and find DBE-certified companies to partner with in their target, geo-location.
- Provide DBE-certified companies with a new channel to promote their business and generate revenue.
Since its initial launch, The DBESearch database is now available in fourteen states and expanding fast. The searchable state directories of DBE-certified companies include:
- Alabama
- Arizona,
- California,
- Colorado,
- Connecticut,
- Georgia,
- Maine,
- Massachusetts,
- Nevada,
- New Hampshire,
- Rhode Island,
- South Carolina,
- Texas, and
- Vermont.
Local government agencies researching how to apply their infrastructure budget can now leverage the searchable database to find desired partners within these states and their surrounding locations.
The directory enables you to narrow your search by:
- Zip code,
- Industry category,
- NAICS code,
- Search radius, and
- DBE type.
So, what are you waiting for? Search the online DBE directory and partner with new companies in your area.
Are you a DBE-certified business and don’t see your company in our directory? Submit your company to the directory here.
Our goal is to make this the easiest way for local companies to find and partner with DBE-certified businesses in the U.S. Your feedback on how to improve the experience is very important to us. Have ideas on how we can make DBESearch better? Email me at matt@dbesearch.com.