49 C.F.R. Subpart C—Certification and Eligibility of ACDBEs
Title 49 - Transportation
(a) As a recipient, you must use, except as provided in this subpart, the procedures and standards of part 26, §§26.61–91 for certification of ACDBEs to participate in your concessions program. Your ACDBE program must incorporate the use of these standards and procedures and must provide that certification decisions for ACDBEs will be made by the Unified Certification Program (UCP) in your state (see part 26, §26.81). (b) The UCP's directory of eligible DBEs must specify whether a firm is certified as a DBE for purposes of part 26, an ACDBE for purposes of part 23, or both. (c) As an airport or UCP, you must review the eligibility of currently certified ACDBE firms to make sure that they meet the eligibility standards of this part. (1) You must complete these reviews as soon as possible, but in no case later than April 21, 2006 or three years from the anniversary date of each firm's most recent certification, whichever is later. (2) You must direct all currently certified ACDBEs to submit to you by April 21, 2006, a personal net worth statement, a certification of disadvantage, and an affidavit of no change. (a) As a recipient, you must, except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, treat a firm as a small business eligible to be certified as an ACDBE if its gross receipts, averaged over the firm's previous three fiscal years, do not exceed $30 million. (b) The following types of businesses have size standards that differ from the standard set forth in paragraph (a) of this section: (1) Banks and financial institutions: $275 million in assets; (2) Car rental companies: $40 million average annual gross receipts over the firm's three previous fiscal years; (3) Pay telephones: 1,500 employees. The personal net worth standard used in determining eligibility for purposes of this part is $750,000. Any individual who has a personal net worth exceeding this amount is not a socially and economically disadvantaged individual for purposes of this part, even if the individual is a member of a group otherwise presumed to be disadvantaged. (a) You must presume that a firm that is certified as a DBE under part 26 is eligible to participate as an ACDBE. By meeting the size, disadvantage (including personal net worth), ownership and control standards of part 26, the firm will have also met the eligibility standards for part 23. (b) However, before certifying such a firm, you must ensure that the disadvantaged owners of a DBE certified under part 26 are able to control the firm with respect to its activity in the concessions program. In addition, you are not required to certify a part 26 DBE as a part 23 ACDBE if the firm does not do work relevant to the airport's concessions program. (a) The provisions of part 26, §§26.83 (c)(2) through (c)(6) do not apply to certifications for purposes of this part. Instead, in determining whether a firm is an eligible ACDBE, you must take the following steps: (1) Obtain the resumes or work histories of the principal owners of the firm and personally interview these individuals; (2) Analyze the ownership of stock of the firm, if it is a corporation; (3) Analyze the bonding and financial capacity of the firm; (4) Determine the work history of the firm, including any concession contracts or other contracts it may have received; (5) Obtain or compile a list of the licenses of the firm and its key personnel to perform the concession contracts or other contracts it wishes to receive; (6) Obtain a statement from the firm of the type(s) of concession(s) it prefers to operate or the type(s) of other contract(s) it prefers to perform. (b) In reviewing the affidavit required by part 26, §26.83(j), you must ensure that the ACDBE firm meets the applicable size standard in §23.33. (c) For purposes of this part, the term prime contractor in part 26, §26.87(i) includes a firm holding a prime contract with an airport concessionaire to provide goods or services to the concessionaire or a firm holding a prime concession agreement with a recipient. (d) With respect to firms owned by Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs), the provisions of part 26, §26.73(i) do not apply under this part. The eligibility of ANC-owned firms for purposes of this part is governed by §26.73(h). (e) When you remove a concessionaire's eligibility after the concessionaire has entered a concession agreement, because the firm exceeded the small business size standard or because an owner has exceeded the personal net worth standard, and the firm in all other respects remains an eligible DBE, you may continue to count the concessionaire's participation toward DBE goals during the remainder of the current concession agreement. However, you must not count the concessionaire's participation toward DBE goals beyond the termination date for the concession agreement in effect at the time of the decertification (e.g., in a case where the agreement is renewed or extended, or an option for continued participation beyond the current term of the agreement is exercised). (f) When UCPs are established in a state (see part 26, §26.81), the UCP, rather than individual recipients, certifies firms for the ACDBE concession program. (g) You must use the Uniform Application Form found in appendix F to part 26. However, you must instruct applicants to take the following additional steps: (1) In the space available in section 2(B)(7) of the form, the applicant must state that it is applying for certification as an ACDBE. (2) With respect to section 4(C) of the form, the applicant must provide information on an attached page concerning the address/location, ownership/lease status, current value of property or lease, and fees/lease payments paid to the airport. (3) The applicant need not complete section 4(I) and (J). However, the applicant must provide information on an attached page concerning any other airport concession businesses the applicant firm or any affiliate owns and/or operates, including name, location, type of concession, and start date of concession. (h) Car rental companies and private terminal owners or lessees are not authorized to certify firms as ACDBEs. As a car rental company or private terminal owner or lessee, you must obtain ACDBE participation from firms which a recipient or UCPs have certified as ACDBEs. (i) You must use the certification standards of this part to determine the ACDBE eligibility of firms that provide goods and services to concessionaires.
Title 49: Transportation
PART 23—PARTICIPATION OF DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE IN AIRPORT CONCESSIONS
Subpart C—Certification and Eligibility of ACDBEs
§ 23.31 What certification standards and procedures do recipients use to certify ACDBEs?
§ 23.33 What size standards do recipients use to determine the eligibility of ACDBEs?
§ 23.35 What is the personal net worth standard for disadvantaged owners of ACDBEs?
§ 23.37 Are firms certified under 49 CFR part 26 eligible to participate as ACDBEs?
§ 23.39 What other certification requirements apply in the case of ACDBEs?
