Heads up
Verify DBE status carefully right now: under the USDOT Interim Final Rule issued October 3, 2025, existing DBE and ACDBE certifications are being re-evaluated and may not be counted toward contract goals until a firm is recertified. Confirm a firm's current status before relying on it.
Pennsylvania state directories
Start with the official state directory. It lists firms Pennsylvania has certified, and it is the source public buyers and prime contractors use to confirm a firm counts toward state and federally funded contract goals.
PA DGS Supplier Search (Small Diverse Business)
The Department of General Services search for verified Small Businesses, Small Diverse Businesses, and Veteran Business Enterprises, with advanced filters for ownership category (minority, woman, veteran, disability, and LGBTQ owned), county, UNSPSC code, and ITQ contract.
Open the directory ↗PA UCP DBE Directory
The Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program system run by five certifying partners (PennDOT, SEPTA, Allegheny County, Philadelphia International Airport, and Pittsburgh Regional Transit); its online DBE directory is the authoritative check on current DBE and ACDBE certification.
Open the directory ↗Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council
The regional National Minority Supplier Development Council affiliate serving Pennsylvania. Corporate buyers source certified Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) through its network.
Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council ↗Federal set-aside firms in Pennsylvania
For federal contracts and subcontracting plans, search SAM.gov and filter by location and socioeconomic status: 8(a), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned (SDVOSB), and HUBZone. These are separate from the state and council certifications above, and buyers count them differently.
Verify before you rely on a certification
A certificate on its own is not proof. Before you count a Pennsylvania supplier toward a diverse spend goal or a subcontracting plan:
- Confirm the record is active, not expired, in the issuing directory above.
- Check the certification type matches what your program counts. MBE, DBE, WOSB, and CBE are not interchangeable.
- Keep a dated screenshot or export of the directory record for your compliance file.
More Pennsylvania resources
- Pennsylvania certification and contracting programs on SupplierDiversity.com.
- The national directories (NMSDC, WBENC, NGLCC, Disability:IN, NaVOBA) for suppliers certified outside Pennsylvania.
- Every certifying body, what it certifies, and how to verify.