DBE Certification and Re-evaluation in Virginia

What it's for

The Virginia Unified Certification Program (Virginia UCP) certifies Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) and Airport Concession DBEs (ACDBEs). Its certifying agencies are the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA). Certification lets a firm count toward DBE goals on USDOT-funded contracts, and ACDBE certification does the same for airport concessions.

Where this state stands

• DOT's UCP status page lists Virginia's re-evaluation as Complete as of Oct 2, 2026.
• SBSD suspended all DBE/ACDBE certification activity on Oct 8, 2025. Re-evaluation of Virginia-based firms began Mar 9, 2026.
• SBSD's Mar 6, 2026 letter set a May 8, 2026 deadline. "Firms that do not submit the required documentation by this date will be ineligible for counting towards DBE participation and will be excluded from the DBE directory."
• Decisions are "Recertified" or "Decertified." Decertified firms may appeal to USDOT under 49 CFR 26.89.
• SBSD said it would not process new or interstate applications or annual declarations "until the reevaluation process is complete." Since DOT now lists Virginia as complete, check with SBSD that processing has resumed.
• Firms were contacted by notice and through the portal. SBSD asked firms to update contact information in the portal first.
• Narrative format: no page limit or template is published. SBSD's workshop says the narrative must not reference race, sex, ethnicity, or incidents outside the U.S. SBSD also says it "may not provide advice as to what a firm should include in their personal statement."
• Federal deadline: a firm that still hasn't sent its narrative and net worth statement by Mar 24, 2027 gets a Notice of Decision disqualifying it (DOT final-rule FAQ, Q17 and Q22). Don't wait for that date.

Have this ready

For re-evaluation, for each owner claiming disadvantage:

• A Personal Narrative (PN) in the owner's own words.
• A current Personal Net Worth (PNW) statement on the official USDOT form. SBSD says firms' own statements or financial documents are not acceptable substitutes.
• Any other financial information the owner considers relevant.

For new applications (per SBSD's New DBE Applicant page):

• DBE/ACDBE Uniform Certification Application and PNW statement.
• Government-issued photo ID for all owners.
• Three years of financial statements (or year-end balance sheets and income statements).
• Complete federal personal tax returns with W-2s and 1099s.
• Items on the DBE/ACDBE Document Checklist.

Steps

Already certified (re-evaluation):

1. Log in to the SBSD Certification Portal (https://certification-app.sbsd.virginia.gov/) and update your contact information.
2. Check your status in the directory (https://directory.sbsd.virginia.gov/).
3. If you were certified by MWAA, or by another state, submit to that UCP instead. SBSD says to submit to "the UCP which originally certified it."
4. If you missed May 8, 2026, contact SBSD at (804) 786-6585 to ask how to submit now.
5. Upload your own narrative and the USDOT PNW form. The UCP decides if you qualify.

New applicants:

1. Confirm with SBSD that new applications are being processed again.
2. Upload all forms and documents electronically in the portal. "All DBE applications and documents must now be submitted electronically."
3. Arrange the onsite visit once SBSD says your file is complete.

After you're certified

• Annual Declaration of Eligibility: SBSD paused these during re-evaluation. Ask SBSD for the current schedule.
• Report changes through the portal or to SBSD staff (no Virginia-specific change form found).
• Interstate: out-of-state firms must first be re-evaluated by their home state. SBSD has a New DBE Interstate Applicant page and an Interstate Certification Affidavit.

Watch out for

• Out-of-state firms cannot be re-evaluated by Virginia first; the home state goes first.
• Use the official USDOT PNW form only.
• Firms that missed May 8, 2026 were removed from the directory.
• Help from the UCP is free. SBSD held a personal narrative process workshop (Mar 5, 2026). VDOT's Business Opportunity and Workforce Development (BOWD) Center and SBSD's Transportation Business Development Team are listed as resources.

What changed nationally, plus DOT's narrative and net worth checklists →

Sources

• www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2026-09/DBE_Final%20Rule_FAQs%2009-28-2026_0.pdf
• www.transportation.gov/UCPstatus
• public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-19688.pdf
• sbsd.virginia.gov/certification-division/updates-to-dbe-certifications/
• sbsd.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/DBE_Recertification_Letter-FINAL-V2.pdf
• sbsd.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/IFR-FAQs-2.3.26.pdf
• sbsd.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/Documents/ImportantFormsDBE/SBSD-DBE-IFR-PN-Worksh
• sbsd.virginia.gov/certification-division/dbe/new-dbe-applicant/

FindMyBids isn't affiliated with USDOT or any certifying agency, and this isn't legal advice. Your state's UCP decides who qualifies. FindMyBids never writes personal narratives and never asks for your net worth figures.