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.
Tennessee state directories
Start with the official state directory. It lists firms Tennessee 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.
Tennessee Go-DBE Certified Directory
The Central Procurement Office's Go-DBE system, with a public vendor search of firms certified as diversity business enterprises for state contracting; no login is required to search.
Open the directory ↗TNUCP DBE Directory
TDOT Civil Rights Division's directory of DBE and ACDBE firms certified to do business in Tennessee, searchable by NAICS code, work type, and keyword.
Open the directory ↗TriState Minority Supplier Development Council
The regional National Minority Supplier Development Council affiliate serving Tennessee. Corporate buyers source certified Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) through its network.
TriState Minority Supplier Development Council ↗Federal set-aside firms in Tennessee
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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee resources
- Tennessee certification and contracting programs on SupplierDiversity.com.
- The national directories (NMSDC, WBENC, NGLCC, Disability:IN, NaVOBA) for suppliers certified outside Tennessee.
- Every certifying body, what it certifies, and how to verify.