BATON ROUGE, La. - The Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) will host a conference for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) on Thursday, Aug. 31, from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., at the Louisiana Training Research Center, on 4101 Gourrier Ave. in Baton Rouge located on the main campus of Louisiana State University.

“The focus of the conference is to bring the DBE community together with DOTD and our federal partner, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), to discuss common issues,” said DOTD Deputy Secretary Cedric Grant. 

The DBE program is run by DOTD and is intended to ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of federally funded contracts for highway, transit, airport and highway safety projects and programs. 

“We want to engage this community to help them get a better sense of how to participate in the process of working with DOTD,” said Grant.  “At the same time, we want to create an environment that prepares more contractors to bid for DOTD projects.  This will in turn create more competition.”

The conference will discuss what it takes to do business with DOTD such as bonding issues and best business practices.  There will be further discussion about consultant goal setting, electronic bidding and partnering opportunities.

Featured speakers will include DOTD Secretary Johnny B. Bradberry, Charles Klemstine of FHWA’s Office of Civil Rights, and Louisiana Rep. Roy Quezaire.

For more information call DBE Supportive Services at (504) 529-9890 or Carolyn Bell, Compliance Program Director at (225) 379-1411.    

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