Oklahoma Unified Certification
Small Business Program

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is launching a Small Business Program (SBP) for the benefit and growth of those firms that may not qualify as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), but do qualify as a small business according to the Small Business Administration size standards. This certification is applicable to firms which bid or perform work on U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) funded projects, and applies to all U.S. DOT recipients who are members of the Oklahoma Unified Certification Program (OUCP).

A small business is one that qualifies under the criteria and size standards in Title 13, Code of Federal Regulations, part 121 (13 CFR 121). Size standards have been established based on a firm's North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. Even if a firm meets the requirements of this section it is not eligible if it (including its affiliates) has had average annual gross receipts, as defined by SBA regulations, over the firm's previous three fiscal years, in excess of $22.41 million. This is a cap set by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and is adjusted based upon inflation.

A small business must be:

• An independent business, whose viability does not depend on its relationship with another firm or firms.
• Only firms organized for profit may be eligible for the Small Business Program.
• In order to participate, firms must be ready, willing, and able to perform work on U.S. DOT assisted contracts.
• Firms must be established businesses with sufficient assets and resources to perform the work of their contracts.

Each firm will be evaluated to ensure it's ability to perform a commercially useful function on U.S. DOT related contracts. Firms will be certified in specific work categories, as determined by their NAICS codes.

Certification will require submitting a brief application and supporting documentation to substantiate that the firm meets the eligibility criteria. If certified, a list of firms will be maintained in the ODOT Civil Rights Division, External Programs.

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NAICS Codes

A North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is used by small businesses for administrative, contracting, and tax purposes. The code classifies the economic sector, industry, and country of your business, according to your economic activity.

A NAICS code consists of six digits. The first two digits indicate your economic sector, the third digit is your industry subsector, the fourth digit refers to your industry group, the fifth digit refers to your industry and the sixth digit specifies an industry that is specific to the U.S., Canada, or Mexico.

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Determining Business Size

One of the first steps to participate in the OUCP SBP is to accurately determine if you can qualify as a small business under SBA size standards. The program only applies to firms which participate in U.S. DOT assisted contracts. You need to select the NAICS code(s) that best describe(s) your business and then determine if the business meets the size standards for the selected NAICS code(s). SBA size standards are stated either in number of employees over the past 12 months or average annual gross receipts over the past three years, depending on your firm’s NAICS code(s). Even if your firm meets SBA criteria if still must be under the USDOT cap which is currently $22.41 million.

The steps are simple to determine your size:

1. Find your NAICS code. Go to the NAICS section of the Bureau of the Census website or click on "free code search" at www.naics.com which is the NAICS code website. Identify the NAICS code(s) that best describe(s) your business activities. Also see Identifying Industry Codes for more helpful resources.
2. Determine your Industry's size standard using the Table of Small Business Size Standards. Match your NAICS code(s) with the appropriate size standard(s).

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Application Process

Download the complete application here.