Capital Region Water developed the Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (MWDBE) Program to ensure that businesses owned by women and minorities have an equal opportunity to participate in all project-related construction contracts.
Our goal is to level the playing field by preventing discrimination in the awarding and administration of contracts. Business enterprises owned by minorities, women, veterans, service-disabled veterans, or LGBT individuals can compete fairly for Capital Region Water contracts and subcontracts.
Through this program, we remove the barriers to participation and assist in developing firms to compete successfully outside of just our program. Networking opportunities with various industries and associations will build new business relationships and share ideas on improving Harrisburg-based companies’ participation. Capital Region Water and the Diversity Program Manager will ensure bid opportunities are available to all businesses in our database.
This plan applies to all construction contracts that exceed the bidding threshold established for municipal authorities in Pennsylvania ($21,900 in 2022).
MWDBE Minimum Participation Levels
Capital Region Water establishes minimum participation levels (MPLs) on a project-by-project basis. The MPLs will be established for each prime bid to be used solely as a guide in determining Prime/Bidder responsibility. MPLs are applied to prime contractor projects as a whole and to each bid category. The MPLs will vary based on the market availability of subcontracting opportunities that match the scope of work, on a project-by-project basis with separate participation levels for the MBEs, WBEs, and other DBEs categories.
MWDBE Certification Requirements
Capital Region Water accepts certifications from the following entities:
- PAUCP – DBE Certification Management System*
- Woman’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
- National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
- United States Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) Program*
- Vets First Verification Program at vetbiz.gov
- US Business Leadership Network (USBLN)
- National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)
- and / or Department of General Services (DGS)
*These are disadvantaged business certifications which are accepted for Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) only. Additional proof of ethnicity and/or gender must be submitted at time of verification.
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Definitions
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)
A business enterprise that meets any of the following definitions.
LGBT Business Enterprise
A business enterprise that is
- a sole proprietorship, owned and controlled by a LGBT person; or
- a partnership or joint venture of business enterprises controlled by LGBT persons in which 51% of the beneficial ownership interest is held by LGBT persons; or
- a corporation or other entity controlled by LGBT persons in which at least 51% of the voting.
Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)
A business concern that is
- a sole proprietorship, owned and controlled by a minority person; or
- a partnership or joint venture of business enterprises controlled by minority persons in which 51% of the beneficial ownership interest is held by minorities; or
- a corporation or other entity controlled by minority persons in which at least 51% of the voting interest and 51% of the beneficial ownership interest are held by minorities.
Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise
A business enterprise that is
- a sole proprietorship, owned and controlled by a service-disabled veteran; or
- a partnership or joint venture of business enterprises controlled by service-disabled veterans in which 51% of the beneficial ownership interest is held by service-disabled veterans; or
- a corporation or other entity controlled by service-disabled veterans in which at least 51% of the voting interest and 51% of the beneficial ownership interest are held by service-disabled veterans.
Veteran Business Enterprise
- a sole proprietorship, owned and controlled by a veteran; or
- a partnership or joint venture of business enterprises controlled by veterans in which 51% of the beneficial ownership interest is held by veterans; or
- a corporation or other entity controlled by veterans in which at least 51% of the voting interest and 51% of the beneficial ownership interest are held by veterans.
Current Bid Opportunities
Contractors may visit PennBid to view active advertisements for construction projects currently out to bid. Find Capital Region Water’s projects by typing in “Capital Region Water” in the Keyword search box.
Contractors must create a free account with PennBid to download documents.