Washington

Washington-certified DBE firms

This section is for firms whose home state (Jurisdiction of Certification) is Washington. If you're certified in another state and listed in Washington, skip to the out-of-state section.

What do I have to do?

To complete your federal DBE reevaluation, you need to submit three things to OMWBE:

• A Personal Narrative establishing your social and economic disadvantage
• A Personal Net Worth Statement showing you fall below the $2,047,000 threshold
• Supporting documentation

OMWBE publishes its own Personal Narrative Guidelines for the reevaluation. Personal Narratives submitted in languages other than English will be translated by a third-party service.

By when?

What if I miss the deadline?

You don't lose your right to submit. Federal regulation does not allow OMWBE to set a hard deadline that permanently bars late submissions.

What changes is the order. OMWBE can prioritize on-time submissions, so a late submission means a delayed review. Until OMWBE recertifies you, you remain ineligible to participate in the DBE program.

"Currently certified DBEs that do not submit the required information by the UCP's submission date may still submit the required documentation at a later time, but such firms will remain ineligible for counting towards DBE participation until they submit the required documentation demonstrating DBE eligibility under the new standards and obtain certification."

— USDOT IFR FAQ, Section C.13

If you expect to miss the submission date, contact OMWBE directly before it passes.

How do I submit it?

Washington's DBE certification is administered by the Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises (OMWBE), not by WSDOT directly. The OMWBE reevaluation submission window ran from January 5 through February 4, 2026. If you missed the window, contact technicalassistance@omwbe.wa.gov for current status.

Submit through the OMWBE certification application: choose "You are an existing DBE/ACDBE, headquartered in Washington State, and you would like to submit for 2025 IFR Re-evaluation." DBE firms certified through OMWBE automatically receive Federal Small Business Enterprise (FSBE) certification, which is race- and sex-neutral and not affected by the IFR reevaluation.

What does the Personal Narrative need to cover?

Your Personal Narrative establishes that you are a socially and economically disadvantaged individual under the federal standard set by 49 CFR §26.67.

It is a written statement, in your own words, describing specific experiences of economic hardship, systemic barriers, and denied opportunities — and connecting those experiences to tangible economic harm.

One rule overrides everything else: the incidents in your narrative must not rely, in whole or in part, on race or sex. The disadvantage has to stand on what occurred and what it cost you, not on a presumption that the cause was your identity.

For a full walkthrough on writing your narrative, see the Personal Narrative Guide.

What counts toward my Personal Net Worth, and what's the threshold?

The threshold is $2,047,000, raised by the IFR from $1,320,000.

The federal rule, 49 CFR §26.68, defines what counts and what doesn't. The two largest exclusions are the equity in your primary residence and the value of your interest in the applicant firm. Retirement assets are also excluded.

For a full walkthrough on completing your Personal Net Worth Statement, see the Personal Net Worth Statement Guide.

What if my firm has multiple owners?

Each qualifying owner submits separately.

If more than one owner is relied upon for your firm's DBE certification, each one writes their own Personal Narrative and submits their own Personal Net Worth Statement. Each owner's eligibility is evaluated individually under 49 CFR §26.67.

Co-owners do not file a single joint narrative. Even if two owners share some history — they grew up in the same community, started the firm together — each writes their own narrative in their own voice.

The Personal Narrative Guide covers the multi-owner rule in more detail.

Can primes still use me on contracts I'm already on?

Yes. Existing contracts — those let before October 3, 2025 — remain valid.

Three federal protections continue to apply during OMWBE's reevaluation period:

• Termination protections under 49 CFR §26.53(f). A prime cannot terminate you without OMWBE's prior written consent and good cause.
• Prompt payment under 49 CFR §26.29. Primes must pay subcontractors within 30 days, and retainage must be promptly returned when your work is satisfactorily completed.
• Existing DBE commitments on those contracts remain enforceable.

What changes is the counting. Your DBE participation on existing contracts cannot be counted toward Washington's DBE goals during the reevaluation period. The contracts continue. The goal accounting pauses.

Can I be listed on new contracts right now?

Until the Washington Unified Certification Program completes its reevaluation, no new federal-aid contracts in Washington will have DBE goals attached, and no DBE participation can be counted toward goals.

"A recipient may not set any DBE contract goals until the UCP in the recipient's jurisdiction has completed the reevaluation process described in 49 CFR § 26.111."

— USDOT IFR FAQ, Section D.3

Whether you can still be listed on a new contract as a non-DBE subcontractor is a separate question, between you, the prime contractor, and the contracting agency. Federal regulation does not prohibit this.

If I'm decertified, can I appeal?

Yes. Federal regulation guarantees you the right to appeal any decertification, including one resulting from the IFR reevaluation.

Appeals go to USDOT directly, not to the Washington Unified Certification Program, under the procedures in 49 CFR §26.89.

"A firm that is decertified under the reevaluation procedures described at 49 CFR § 26.111 is entitled to appeal the decertification to DOT under the procedures described at 49 CFR § 26.89."

— USDOT IFR FAQ, Section C.7

If your application is denied rather than decertified, federal regulation also allows you to reapply twelve months after the denial under 49 CFR §26.86.

What if I don't want to seek reevaluation? Can I withdraw?

Yes. You can choose to withdraw from the DBE program rather than go through reevaluation. Federal regulation does not require any firm to seek recertification.

Once you withdraw, your firm is removed from Washington's DBE directory and you can no longer market yourself as a certified DBE.

Contact OMWBE for the specific withdrawal process.

Do I need to submit reevaluation materials in other states too?

No. Since Washington is your home state — your Jurisdiction of Certification — only the Washington Unified Certification Program reevaluates you. You do not submit a Personal Narrative or PNW Statement to any other state as part of this process.

"UCPs are required to reevaluate the certifications only of those DBEs for which the UCP is the jurisdiction of original certification."

— USDOT IFR FAQ, Section C.1

If you are also listed in other states through interstate certification, those states have likely delisted you or paused your status until the Washington Unified Certification Program recertifies you.

For the full multi-state navigation process, see the Multi-State Firms Guide.

Once my home state recertifies me, am I automatically back in other states?

No. Recertification by the Washington Unified Certification Program is not automatic in other states.

Once you're recertified, you'll receive a recertification letter. You'll then need to apply for interstate certification separately in each other state where you want to be listed.

The interstate certification process is governed by 49 CFR §26.85 — the same federal procedure in every state, though each state controls its own timeline.

Many states have paused interstate processing while they finish their own reevaluations. Until they reopen, your recertification letter is your starting point rather than an immediate path back in.

For the home-state-first workflow, see the Multi-State Firms Guide.

Where can I get free help?

Three free guides on this site cover the parts of reevaluation where most firms get stuck:

• Personal Narrative Guide — how to write your narrative
• Personal Net Worth Statement Guide — how to complete your PNW
• Multi-State Firms Guide — how to navigate certification across multiple states

OMWBE may also publish free guidance and host webinars during the reevaluation period. Contact them directly for current resources.

Have a question we haven't answered?

Contact OMWBE directly:

Email: sarah.erdmann@omwbe.wa.gov Phone: (360) 753-9693

Found a mistake?

If you spot anything that looks wrong or out of date, email us at contact@getdbecertified.org. We'll verify against the official source and update.

Out-of-state DBE firms

Out-of-state firms don't need to do anything in Washington for the federal DBE reevaluation — your home state handles that.

Once your home state recertifies you, you'll need to reapply for interstate certification in Washington under 49 CFR §26.85.

OMWBE has paused interstate applications while it focuses on its own reevaluation. They control when the process reopens.

For the full home-state-first workflow, see the Multi-State Firms Guide.

Have a question about your status in Washington? Contact OMWBE directly.