MDOT's small business and DBE goals on the Nov. 6 letting, call by call

Every call in the Michigan Department of Transportation's Notice of Advertisement lists two participation requirements: required DBE participation and required Small Business Program (SBP) participation. A look at the 71 calls on the Nov. 6, 2026 letting shows how MDOT spreads them.

The numbers

• DBE goals: 22 calls have a DBE requirement above zero. Seven are at 2%, seven at 3%, two at 4%, three at 5%, two at 6% and one at 8%.
• SBP goals: 18 calls have an SBP requirement above zero. Six are at 3%, six at 4%, five at 5% and one at 8%.
• Neither: 31 calls have 0% for both.

In this letting, no call has both a DBE and an SBP requirement. Each call with a goal has one or the other.

What the programs are

The DBE program applies to federally funded transportation contracts and counts participation by firms certified as disadvantaged business enterprises. MDOT's Small Business Program is a state program; the Notice of Advertisement describes SBP participation requirements alongside DBE requirements, and in one case limits who may bid as prime.

That call is a 1.76-mile tree removal project on US-12 from Haggerty Road to Lotz Road and from west of Pershing Street to Howe Road in the city of Wayne, Wayne County. The notice calls it "a Small Business Program project" and says "only those approved by MDOT as a Small Business may be eligible to bid as a prime contractor."

Examples

• Call 004, the I-94 Business Loop reconstruction in Port Huron, St. Clair County: DBE 4%.
• Call 003, M-85 (Fort Street) resurfacing in Detroit: DBE 2%.
• Call 070, resurfacing, pavement repair, ramp upgrades and signal modernization in Wayne County: DBE 4%.
• Call 001, I-96 eastbound bridge over Milford Road in Oakland County: SBP 3%.
• Call 002, M-96 bridge over the Kalamazoo River: SBP 4%.
• Call 013, US-24 resurfacing in Wayne County: SBP 5%.
• Call 020, concrete reconstruction on northbound Oakland Avenue and Chrysler Drive in Wayne County: SBP 5%.

Local agency calls

Forty of the 71 calls are local agency projects. Many of those, especially small signal and sidewalk jobs, carry 0% for both goals, which is part of why 31 calls have no participation requirement.

What it means for small firms

For certified DBEs, the 22 calls with DBE goals are the ones where primes must line up DBE participation. For small businesses approved under MDOT's program, the 18 SBP calls are the ones to watch, and the US-12 job is open to them as prime. Primes that need partners can search this site's Sub Finder; the notice itself directs bidders to the proposal for details on how participation is counted.

Small businesses on MDOT's list

MDOT's prequalified contractors list marks firms that are in its Small Business Program. Of the 458 Michigan firms in this site's directory, 72 carry that flag, led by Wayne County (16) and Oakland County (7).

How to bid MDOT work

Each call in MDOT's Notice of Advertisement states the net prequalification classification a prime contractor needs. Where a project also includes subclassifications, the notice says a prime that is not prequalified in them must use prequalified subcontractors, designated before award. Each call also lists the required DBE participation and the required Small Business Program (SBP) participation, the completion date and any warranties, and says to see the proposal for bidder guaranty information. Proposals and plans are available online through MDOT's eProposal system, and MDOT's lettings are held at 425 W. Ottawa St. in Lansing at 10:30 a.m. local time. Public contracts over $50,000 require payment and performance bonds under MCL 129.201.

See every call with its goals on our bids page.