Supplier diversity in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Dallas-Fort Worth is the largest Fortune 500 corporate concentration in Texas and one of the top three Texas metros for supplier diversity activity (alongside Houston and Austin). The DFW corporate base is unusually broad — telecom (AT&T), aerospace and defense (Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Bell, L3Harris), banking, retail, and energy all have substantial presence.
On the public-sector side, both Dallas and Fort Worth run separate municipal M/WBE programs, the Texas HUB program covers state procurement, and the DFW International Airport runs one of the larger DBE programs in the FAA system.
- Telecommunications
- aerospace and defense
- financial services
- retail
- transportation/logistics
- energy
- technology
- healthcare
City and county certification programs in Dallas-Fort Worth
**City of Dallas M/WBE certification** through the Office of Business Diversity — recognized for City of Dallas procurement.
**City of Fort Worth M/WBE certification** is separate from Dallas — different application, different certifying body. Reciprocity exists in some categories.
**Texas HUB program** through the Texas Comptroller for state agency procurement.
**DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) DBE** for federally-funded transit construction and operations.
**DFW International Airport DBE** for airport concessions and federally-funded improvement contracts.
Where to certify in the Dallas-Fort Worth region
Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council (DFWMSDC)
Process your NMSDC MBE certification through this regional council.
Visit the council →Women's Business Council — Southwest (WBCS)
Process your WBENC WBE certification through this Regional Partner Organization.
Visit the RPO →Federal contracting opportunities in Dallas-Fort Worth
Federal contracting in DFW concentrates at multiple Department of Defense facilities (Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Sheppard Air Force Base in nearby Wichita Falls), the VA (Dallas VAMC and Fort Worth VA), Federal Aviation Administration (DFW Airport, Air Traffic Control), GSA Region 7, and Department of Homeland Security (TSA, ICE, USCIS).
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth alone is one of the largest single concentrations of federal subcontracting opportunity in the country — F-35 manufacturing supports a vast Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier base.
Fortune 500 buyers headquartered in or near Dallas-Fort Worth
DFW Fortune 500 supplier diversity programs:
**Telecom & technology:** AT&T (Dallas HQ), Texas Instruments, McKesson (Irving HQ).
**Aerospace & defense:** Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (Fort Worth), Bell Textron, L3Harris.
**Financial services:** Charles Schwab, Comerica, Texas Capital, USAA (San Antonio but Dallas presence).
**Retail & consumer:** ExxonMobil (Spring TX), JCPenney, Pizza Hut/Yum Brands legacy presence, AT&T DirectTV.
**Industrial:** Caterpillar's Solar Turbines, Trinity Industries, Frontier Communications.
AT&T in particular has run a multi-billion-dollar diverse spend program for decades and is a longtime Billion Dollar Roundtable member.
Dallas-Fort Worth FAQ
Are City of Dallas and City of Fort Worth M/WBE certifications interchangeable?
No. They're administered separately. Reciprocity exists in some categories for some procurement types, but firms targeting work in both cities typically carry both certifications. Texas HUB is also separate and required for state agency contracts.
What's the largest single federal subcontracting opportunity in DFW?
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics's F-35 program in Fort Worth supports a vast Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier base. Lockheed maintains a dedicated supplier diversity team and a small-business mentor-protégé program. F-35 production is expected to continue for decades, making this one of the most stable federal subcontracting environments in the country.
How does DFW Airport DBE certification work?
DFW International Airport is jointly owned by Dallas and Fort Worth and runs its own DBE program for federally-funded improvement contracts and airport concessions. Apply through the DFW Airport Business Diversity & Development office. Concessions DBE certification has additional requirements (e.g., demonstrated retail/F&B operating experience) beyond standard DBE rules.
Certify and bid in Dallas-Fort Worth.
The certification quiz checks your business against every federal, state, and corporate certification in play for the Dallas-Fort Worth market and orders the matches by which buyers active here accept each one.