November 2022 - 31

DBE Program
business days to comply with the
DBE goal and identify certified
DBEs to work on the project. If
the prime replies, a letter of intent
and the DBE affidavit must
be received by OBD within the
specified timeframe. If the prime
contractor does not adhere to the
timeframe, the contractor is ruled
out of compliance, and the next
contractor in line will be selected
for the project.
When a project begins, project
meetings are held monthly with
the project manager, OBD staff,
other staff from the authority,
prime contractor and sub-contractors
(DBEs). Issues and concerns
are addressed, bottlenecks
are identified, and if a project is
off schedule, a plan is put in place
to get it back on track. If a prime
contractor is not paying the DBEs,
payment to the prime contractor
can be withheld until the problem
is resolved, as specified under the
Contract Compliance and Monitoring
section. If the prime contractor
remains non-compliant,
the authority's project manager
can shut the project down completely.
The authority has ensured
that compliance and procedures
are followed as specified in CFR
49, part 26.
Outreach
The authority's procurement staff
and OBD staff conduct a monthly
" Learn to do Business " virtual
training program for small
businesses, potential DBEs and
currently certified DBEs. Mass
emails are sent to all certified
DBEs and encourage them to
bring other small businesses to
these sessions. This program
highlights construction, fleet
purchase and professional service
projects and how these small
businesses can participate. The
training programs highlight the
certification process, procurement
opportunities, contract
compliance, payment policies and
how to monitor project progress.
GCRTA partners with various
agencies in Northeast Ohio such
as the Greater Cleveland Partnership,
City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga
County, area universities and colleges,
Jumpstart and Economic
& Community Development
Institute (ECDI) providing an
awareness of the small businesses
and DBEs to the community
and networking opportunities for
these businesses. This also enables
the seasoned DBEs to assist the
newer businesses and learn how
to participate in a procurement
as a prime contractor.
Small Business
Participation Plan
In addition to the outreach and
goal setting opportunities for DBE
firms, the Office of Business Development
(OBD) reaches out to
all businesses that can bid on any
procurement. The authority's Procurement
Department and OBD
conduct a " Learn to do
Business " seminar for
these firms. This enables
the small businesses
that are not part
of the DBE program
to learn how they can
propose on the authority's
procurements and
network with the other
firms that are attending.
This has become a bit
harder during the virtual
meetings since the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Now that the economy
is more relaxed on
face-to-face meetings,
OBD hosts these meetings
twice a year and
collaborates with their
partners on the other
two meetings.
This program gives
small businesses an opportunity
to gain revenue
during a three-year
period. To participate in
this program, a small
business cannot exceed
three-year gross revenues
of $28.48 million at
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2210MASS_Noble Pine.indd 1
8/30/22 11:16 AM
the end of Federal Fiscal Year (FY)
2021. For Federal Fiscal Year (FY)
2021, GCRTA's Office of Business
Development has certified 16 new
DBE businesses, completed 67 no
change certifications for existing
DBE businesses, conducted four
on-site visits, conducted 58 goal
settings, certified 62 payroll reports
and either held or attended
30 outreach sessions. Since 2019,
the authority's Office of Business
Development has certified 49 new
DBE firms. These efforts have
helped to ensure that the Greater
Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
maintains a healthy and
robust DBE program.
Carl Kirkland is the director of the
Office of Business Development for
GCRTA.
Kay Sutula is the director of the Office
of Management and Budget for
GCRTA.
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November 2022

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