Business Diversity Progress at the July Board Meeting

At its July meeting, the NTTA Board of Directors approved the establishment of a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program and the 2010 goals for minority and women-owned business enterprise participation.  To date, the NTTA has operated under Texas Department of Transportation’s DBE program.

“Establishing our own Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program allows the NTTA to set goals based on the availability in the North Texas region rather than statewide data,” said NTTA Assistant Executive Director of Administrative Services Kim Tolbert. 

The recommended DBE goal for the NTTA for fiscal years 2011-2013 is 13 percent. The NTTA’s proposed DBE Program development was facilitated by Armand Resources Group, Inc., a leader in the design and implementation of comprehensive diversity programs for transportation agencies throughout the state.  The program was developed following guidance of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 26 and is subject to final approval by DOT/FHWA.

The new industry-specific M/WBE participation goals are informed by the NTTA’s new Diversity Policy approved in January of 2010.  Before then, contract goals were set on an ad-hoc basis with no established baseline. 

Specifics regarding the approved goals are: