If your business is bidding on a government-funded project requiring good faith solicitation of socially and/or economcially disadvantaged businesses and is seeking a low-cost and time-efficient method to fulfill these requirements, then we are your one-stop solution.

We understand that every business is different and, with this in mind, have formulated three service levels for varying needs. Learn more about our three levels of service and pricing on the Services & Rates Web page.

All that’s needed to start placing your good faith solicitation is a username and password. Visit our New User Registration page to sign up, login to your account, and place your ad. There are no registration or membership fees – you are only charged for each ad you place.
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1.2  Where will my advertisement be published?

Ads posted with DBE Goodfaith can be found on our online Focus and Trade journals. The most recently submitted ads are available on our homepage, www.dbegoodfaith.com. All ads can be found through the Search Ads function.
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1.3  Does DBE Goodfaith perform the whole good faith effort?

No. Our service can only fulfill the advertisement, search, and solicitation requirements of the good faith effort. DBE Goodfaith provides each customer with documentation of all outreach performed by DBE GoodFaith on their behalf. Customers can download their outreach documentation from their personal accounts once DBE Goodfaith completes the solicitation.

Bidders are responsible for other completing other components of the good faith effort. For example, if a bidder is contacted by a disadvantaged business solicited through DBE Goodfaith, the bidder must negotiate with the firm in good faith. Since we are not in a position to know the specifications of a project, DBE Goodfaith does not negotiate on behalf of its customers.

It is also the responsibility of the bidder to complete and submit the good faith effort documents to the awarding agency.
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1.4  Many of the ads listed on DBEGoodfaith.com are construction-oriented, does DBE Goodfaith also perform outreach for service contracts?

Many of our ads are for construction because it is the sector with the most demand. However, we do provide outreach services for many firms bidding on service contracts. If you are interested in posting an ad or learning more, visit Services & Rates.
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1.5  What services do you provide for socially and economically disadvantaged businesses? Should we register with DBE Goodfaith?

The services we offer to socially and economically disadvantaged businesses are FREE and include the following:

• Access to our on-line Trade and Focus Journals that advertise jobs for certified disadvantaged business subcontractors and suppliers;
• Inclusion in our comprehensive disadvantage business database, which is searched everyday by companies inviting subcontractors and suppliers to submit quotes for their bids; and
• Access to news and events relevant to disadvantaged business.

Businesses do not have to register with DBE Goodfaith to take advantage of the above-listed services.
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2.1  What is the Good Faith Effort?

Many socially and economically disadvantaged business enterprises (BEs) believe that the good faith effort (GFE) is a way for bidders to avoid subcontracting a BE. Some contractors believe that this is true as well, hoping to just get through the process by filling out the paperwork and moving on. This is the biggest misconception of the good faith effort.

Why does this happen? Some contractors simply don't understand the purpose or the process of the GFE. A GFE is not a set of documents that a contractor simply hands in to the awarding agencies to win a project. The GFE is a process that must be followed in order to give BEs a fair shot to perform some useful task for a contract.

BE programs were created to help small businesses participate on contracts that they would not normally be able to bid. The programs are a way to give back to the community and the taxpayers who work for BEs in those communities.
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2.2  How is the Good Faith Effort met?

Prime bidders must consider in good faith all certified and available economically and socially disadvantaged firms that wish to participate on the projects they are bidding. Performing outreach itself does not constitue a good faith effort; it is only the initial step in the process. For example, if an interested disadvantaged firm responds to a solicitation for participation on a project, the prime contractor must consider the business. If available disadvantaged firms are not considered, there is no good faith - regardless of how much paperwork and initial outreach is completed. Awarding agencies reserve the right to deny a contract to prime bidders that do no complete the good faith effort.

It is important to note that third-party firms cannot perform all the good faith steps.  DBE Goodfaith's services are designed to help prime bidders locate DBE/DVBE/SBE/MBE/WBE firms, perform the initial outreach, and provide documentation of the outreach performed on projects that require it. 
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2.3  Can prime contractors benefit from utilizing economically and socially disadvantaged businesses?

The bottom line for any prime contractor is winning the bid. As follows, quotes submitted from subcontractors and suppliers are evaluated based on price - and the prices will either make or break any winning bid. Prices from certified disadvantaged firms are frequently higher than larger subcontractors and suppliers because those larger firms have a competitive advantage over their smaller counterparts. The reason many prime contractors do not list disadvantaged firms as subcontractors for their projects is because they have a higher bid price. A higher bid means a lost bid. Some states, though, have instituted programs to help level the playing field.

The State of California, for example, is encouraging bidders to use small businesses by offering bid preferences. Check with your awarding agency to see if they have a similar program.
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2.4  What laws determine if a project requires DBE participation?

According to federal law, DBE goals are to be included on projects with federal funding. Since the DBE program is a federal requirement, the law applies to all 50 states. Also some counties and cities may include economically and socially disadvantaged business goals based on their own legislation. A contract's bid documents will usually explain the DBE participation goals and requirements.
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3.1  I found DBEGoodfaith.com and most of the ads are directed toward California subcontractors and suppliers. Do you provide your services in any other markets?

At the present time, DBE Goodfaith can provide Bronze, Silver, and Gold level service in California, New York, and Nevada. We are currently building our capacity to provide these three levels of service nationwide.

In all other states, we can provide our Bronze level of service, which places an ad in our online Trade and Focus journals.

To learn more about our three levels of service, visit Service & Rates.
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3.2  What is the first step in the process of placing an ad with DBE Goodfaith?

To place an ad with DBE Goodfaith, simply register at New User Registration. Then, return to our homepage, log in to your personalized account with the newly created username and password, and start placing your ad!
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3.3  Can I be sure that my credit card information will be safe?

DBE Goodfaith uses a secure server and adheres to strict principles of customer privacy in the workplace.
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3.4  Am I charged a monthly or annual membership rate when I register with DBE Goodfaith?

Advertisers are charged each time they use our services. DBE Goodfaith does not charge firms for simply registering to use your service. To learn more about our levels of service, visit Services & Rates.
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3.5  How long will my ad run?

Ads will be available at DBEGoodfaith.com until the project's bid date.
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3.6  How quickly can my ad be posted?

If posted through DBEGoodfaith.com, the ad will be published immediately after its submission.
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3.7  How much information should I include in the “Project Details” text box?

The purpose of the “Project Details” text box is to provide the full scope of the project and needs of the prime bidder to potential subcontractors and suppliers. DBE Goodfaith recommends that advertisers include the following information in the “Project Details”:

• The awarding agency or department’s name;
• The project or RFP number (if available) and project name;
• The location of the project (city and county should suffice);
• The project’s scope of work;
• The bid items requiring subcontractor or supplier quotes; and
• The estimated value of the project.

The inclusion of these details will provide subcontractors and suppliers with sufficient information to decide whether the project is suitable to the services they offer – saving time for both the advertiser and the subcontractors.
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3.8  My project's bid date has been changed. How do I update my ad's bid date?

Please contact our customer service center at (877) 802-3394 or email us with the project name, old bid date, and new bid date and we will be happy to update the advertisement at no extra cost.
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3.9  I placed my ad and DBE Goodfaith performed the required outreach, but how do I receive the evidence of the outreach?

Upon completing the outreach, DBE Goodfaith automatically sends the advertiser the bid documents to the email registered with our service. NOTE: Overzealous spam filters have a penchant for blocking our emails because they contain PDF attachments. To avoid this inconvenience, please add DBE Goodfaith to your email’s contacts list.

As an alternative to receiving the bid documents via email (in case of email complications with the spam filter), customers can log in their account, click on the project's name, and download the bid documents from the bottom of the following page.
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Yes. You can find us listed on the California Department of General Services website here as a Focus Journal and here as a Trade Journal.
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1.2  Are online advertisements accepted as a part of the good faith
effort by California agencies?

The California Public Contract Code states that electronic publications are acceptable for DBE, UDBE, MBE, WBE, SBE outreach advertisements.

2.1  What steps are required to perform the good faith solicitation in California?

For most projects, the requirements are set by California's Public Contracting Code. It has five legally defined steps for good faith effort:

• Contact was made with the awarding department to identify the certified socially and economically disadvantaged businesses identified in the bid documents;
• Contact was made with other state and federal agencies and with local organizations to identify socially and economically disadvantaged businesses;*
• Advertising was published in trade papers and papers focusing on socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, unless time limits imposed by the awarding department do not permit that advertising;
• Invitations to bid were submitted in writing to potential socially and economically disadvantaged businesses subcontractors and suppliers; and
• Available socially and economically disadvantaged businesses were considered.

*Generally speaking, awarding agencies require that ads be placed 14 calendar days or 10 business days prior the a contract's bid date. Some agencies may have different Trade and Focus Journal requirements. To ensure that you fulfill the good faith effort requirements, contact the contract's awarding agency to confirm the 14-day requirement.

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2.2 I am having trouble finding enough disabled veteran business enterprises (DVBEs) to meet my contract's three precent DVBE participation goal. Will hiring a DVBE to find the subcontractors and suppliers that I need contribute to the contract goal?

No. Bidders must subcontract DVBEs to perform a 'commercially useful function' (CUF) relevant to the project's scope of work in order to fulfill contract's DVBE participation goals. To read more about the CUF clause of California's Public Contract Code, check out our January 2008 Newsletter the Department of General Services website.
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3.1  Why can’t I find any California DVBE’s of a certain trade when I search the project’s area? Does DBE Goodfaith not have a full listing of construction-related state certified DVBEs?

DBE Goodfaith rigorously maintains a DVBE database for the State of California. DVBEs of particular trades are lacking in some areas of California due to the relatively few number of DVBEs certified by the state for construction projects (a dismal 900!).

To help ease your DVBE search frustrations, DBE Goodfaith suggests casting a larger net by search counties within a reasonable proximity to the project’s location. While you may be out of luck with some trades and services, the chances of you finding the subcontractors and suppliers you are looking for are greatly improved.
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4.1  I am interested in becoming a certified DVBE, what percentage of disability is required for a veteran to be considered a "Disabled Veteran" by the State of California?

The level of required disability is 10 percent according to California's Department of General Services, which runs the California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) program. The business concern must be at least owned 51% by disabled veterans. To register as a DVBE in the State of California, visit the DGS website at www.dgs.ca.gov, and click on the Small Business/DVBE link on the left-hand side.

Outside California, the percentage of disability may differ but is usually the same (10 percent). The Federal program is called the SDVOBE (Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business Enterprise) program.
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