January 18, 2005 - On November 23, 2004,the NCDOT received final approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to implement the Unified Certification Program (UCP). The UCP is a program mandated by the USDOT to ease the burden on small businesses seeking certification as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE). Program participants have agreed to implement the program in phases, with full implementation scheduled to be completed by September 2005.

You must participate in the UCP if you are required to have a DBE program.

49 CFR Part 26.21 outlines specifically "Who must have a DBE program?" It says specifically,

(a) If you are in one of these categories and let DOT-assisted contracts, you must have a DBE program meeting the requirements of this part:

(1) All FHWA recipients receiving funds authorized by a statute to which this part applies;

(2) FTA recipients receiving planning, capital and/or operating assistance who will award prime contracts (excluding transit vehicle purchases) exceeding $250,000 in FTA funds in a Federal fiscal year;

(3) FAA recipients receiving grants for airport planning or development who will award prime contracts exceeding $250,000 in FAA funds in a Federal fiscal year.

As required in 49 CFR Part 26, subpart E, all USDOT direct recipients in North Carolina must agree to participate in a Unified Certification Program, and our failure to do so deems the entire state collectively non-compliant. The penalties for failing to comply could include suspension or termination of Federal funds, or refusal to approve projects, grants, or contracts until the UCP is in place.

Yes, a copy of the program plan can be downloaded here (1075k)

To show your agreement, a signature on the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) from the approval authority in your organization is required. Just click here (30k) to access the MOA. Modify the "NAME OF RECIPIENT ORGANIZATION" fields in the document, but please do not modify any additional fields, as document consistency must be maintained for all recipients.

We have committed to transmit evidence of agreement to USDOT by August 31, 2004; therefore, we need to receive your signed MOA by August 30th .

Submit two signed copies of the Memorandum of Agreement to:

North Carolina Department of Transportation

ATTN: Unified Certification Program

1509 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-1509

Annual UCP Stakeholder Meeting, 2006: The UCP Annual Stakeholders’ Meeting was held on December 13, 2006 from 9:30 to 12:30 at the RDU Center at Raleigh Durham International Airport. The purpose of the meeting was to review and update implementation issues, present technological support applications that were developed for the UCP, discuss program costs and cost sharing options, discuss partner roles and responsibilities, and conduct a program evaluation.

• Meeting Notes
• Presentation

ACDBE Meeting: North Carolina's UCP called a special meeting of Air Carrier UCP partners and stakeholders. The meeting was held on July 26, 2006 from 9:00 to 12:00 at the RDU Center at Raleigh Durham International Airport. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the certification requirements (as defined in the new release of 49 CFR Part 23 in April 2006) that must be addressed by North Carolina's UCP. The current agreement, which was developed and implemented prior to the Part 23 release, grants NCDOT the sole certification authority for all firms except airport concessions. The airports would certify airport concessions. Because North Carolina's UCP is required to provide one-stop shopping for all ACDBE and DBE certified firms, the partners needed to meet and develop an approach for ensuring federal mandates are met.

• Meeting Notes
• Attendee List
• Excerpt from UCP (Revised)