Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority | Doing Business

Procurement Mission

Purchases relating to the expenditure of taxpayer dollars require the highest degree of public trust and impeccable standards of conduct. Ultimately, PSTA’s Procurement department ensures the right products and services arrive at the right time, cost, and highest quality, keeping our agency running smoothly. 

ABOUT PSTA PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT

PSTA has a centralized procurement department responsible for acquiring all goods and services for the agency, including rolling stock, professional services, construction, commodities, consulting, and promotional items.
To comply with our adopted policy, we utilize the following solicitation methods: Invitation for Bid (IFB), Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quote (RFQ), Consultants Competitive Negations Act (CCNA), and Sole Source (in accordance with FL Statue 287.057).
Below are the Purchasing Limit Guidelines and Agency Procurement Policy for reference.

Under $3,000

• Two or three verbal quotes

$3,001 to $24,999

• Three formal written quotes are required

$25,000 and higher

• Purchase must be advertised for Request for Proposal, Invitation to Bid, or Invitation to negotiate as appropriate

Doing Business with PSTA

Looking to become a PSTA vendor? We’re always seeking qualified partners to help deliver quality goods and services. From office supplies to major infrastructure projects, we approach every procurement with fairness and transparency.

To get started, simply register in EUNA (Bonfire) using the appropriate North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes. Yes, it’s that straightforward—see the link below to register today!

Procurement Tips

• Read solicitation documents and direct any questions to the contracting officer
• Ensure compliance with Representations and Certifications of the solicitations (e.g., insurance requirements) 
• Make sure you know your NAICS codes when registering in Bonfire 
• Make sure you provide Original Equipment Manufacture parts when bidding on parts 

Reach Thousands of Riders With Bus Advertising 

Want to reach thousands of daily transit riders? Our buses and transit facilities offer great visibility throughout Pinellas County. 

Bus & Trolley Advertising

Contact: Lamar Transit Advertising of Pinellas County
Market Manager: Wendy Lang 
Phone: 561-512-2282  
Email: wlang@lamar.com
Website: https://lamar.com

Bus shelter advertising 

Contact: InSite Street Media 
General Manager: Katie Cullen 
Phone: 813-249-6309 
Email: kcullen@insitesm.com 
Website: www.insitesm.com 

Bus bench advertising 

Please note: Bus benches are not owned or managed by PSTA 

Contact: COA of America 
Address: 8875 Hidden River Parkway, Suite 300, Tampa, FL 33637 
Phone: 1-800-661-6088 
Email: Sales@creativeoutdoor.com 
Website: www.creativeoutdoor.com 

January 5, 2026

To: Prime Contractors and Subcontractors (Third Notification)

On September 30, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) modifying Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concessions DBE (ACDBE) regulations. These changes became effective October 3, 2025. USDOT updated their Official Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on December 1, 2025.

Below is a list of the FAQs from December 1, 2025, directly affecting PSTA’s DBE Program and our response.

1. Can recipients implement their own race- and sex-neutral small business enterprise programs on federally assisted contracts?

DOT Reply: Yes
Reference: 49 CFR § 26.39 – Fostering Small Business Participation

PSTA’s amended DBE Program will include a small business element component to foster participation and facilitate competition by small business concerns. This element will be submitted to the DOT operating administration as part of PSTA’s DBE Program. The program will be DBE-Neutral (not based in whole or in part on race or gender) and use USDOT small business size standards. Procurement practices will be reviewed to identify barriers to small business participation. The objectives of the small business element will be to:

• Increase the number and capacity of all small businesses to compete on PSTA projects.
• Provide technical assistance, and other support services that benefit all small businesses.
• Expand the network of small businesses available to serve as prime contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers.
• Track, monitor, and report participation to maximize the race-neutral portion of PSTA’s overall DBE-neutral goal.

2. Are recipients expected to continue meeting the requirements of a DBE conciliation agreement under 49 CFR § 26.103?

DOT Reply: Yes
Reference: 49 CFR § 26.103 – Enforcement Actions

PSTA does not have any conciliation agreement in place regarding compliance issues within our DBE Program.

3. After the reevaluation process, if a DBE performing work on a contract is not recertified during the reevaluation process, the recipient will be required to take appropriate action to discontinue the effect of the unconstitutional certification. What appropriate action must be taken?

DOT Reply: The recipient must assess its project, including, for example, the contracts and
subcontracts, and take all measures to ameliorate prior unconstitutional actions.

PSTA will review projects with contract specific DBE Goals and verify all DBE subcontractors have been recertified in accordance with IFR regulations. If a DBE is found not to have been recertified, PSTA will take the following steps to ensure compliance:

• New DBE Goal worksheets will be presented for approval to the Contracting Officer to be submitted as Amendments.
• Worksheets will reflect removal of the total number of DBEs per NAICS code affected by recertification and updated contract specific DBE goals.
• Notices will be sent to prime contractors with Subcontractor Utilization Forms for signature to reflect removal / reclassification of non-certified DBEs.
• Copies of updated forms will be sent to the Contracting Officer and saved to DBE files.
• If the prime contractor had a written agreement with any former DBE subcontractor prior to the submission of the contract Amendment, the prime will be asked to comply with said written agreement, and the former DBE subcontractor will be placed under PSTA’s small business element program.

4. Is a prime contractor that terminates a DBE or a portion of a DBE’s work on an existing contract in accordance with the termination provisions in 49 CFR § 26.53(f) during the reevaluation process described in 49 CFR § 26.111 required to use good faith efforts to include additional DBE participation to the extent needed to meet the contract goal in accordance with 49 CFR § 26.53(g)?

DOT Reply: No
Reference: 49 CFR § 26.53(f); 49 CFR § 26.53(g); 49 CFR § 26.111 – Good faith efforts

In accordance with IFR regulations, PSTA has stopped counting DBE participation and removed all contract specific DBE goals until our jurisdiction UCP completes its reevaluation process. Therefore, if a prime contractor terminates a DBE or a part of a DBE’s work in accordance with termination procedures 49 CFR § 26.53(f), it is not required to use Good Faith Efforts to include additional DBE participation.

5. May a recipient issue a change order to zero out a DBE goal on an existing contract executed before October 3, 2025?

DOT Reply: Yes.

PSTA zeroed out all contract specific DBE goals executed before October 3, 2025. Primes and subcontractors affected by this change have been notified directly.

6. Should recipients set DBE goals to zero for task orders issued for on-call, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ), or Job-Order-Contracting (JOC) contracts extending past the IFR issuance?

DOT Reply: Yes.
Reference: 49 CFR § 26.111 – DBE reevaluation process

PSTA has zeroed out all contract specific DBE goals and is not counting any DBE participation until such time our jurisdiction UCP completes its reevaluation process.

7. For projects with DBE goal shortfalls that were completed prior to October 3, 2025, should a recipient conduct shortfall reviews and carry out the applicable remedies?

DOT Reply: No
Reference: 49 CFR § 26.53(g) – Good faith efforts

PSTA is not conducting any shortfall analysis at this time.

8. How do the changes to the DBE rule affect ferry procurements?

DOT Reply: Ferry Procurements / Certified Transit Vehicle Manufacturers (TVM)
Reference: 49 CFR § 26.49(a); 49 CFR § 26.49(f) – Transit vehicle manufacturers

PSTA will set all project-specific DBE goals for ferry purchases to zero until our jurisdiction UCP has completed its reevaluation process. Solicitations for transit vehicles including ferries will be limited to certified Transit Vehicle Manufacturers unless a TVM cannot be identified.

Welcome to PSTA’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program

Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) has established a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program in accordance with regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Title 49 CFR Part 26 and the Interim Final Rule issued October 3, 2025.

One of the major changes to the DBE Program is the removal of race-and sex-based presumptions from the definition of “socially and economically disadvantaged individual.” This change requires a reevaluation of all existing DBE firms based on their ability to demonstrate individual disadvantage. Unified Certification Programs will be in contact with the DBEs they certified on how to proceed with this new process.

Program Goals and Objectives

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Transportation (DOT) have determined: “the use of DBE contract goals in a jurisdiction, where any DBE in that jurisdiction was determined to be eligible based on a race- or sex-based presumption, violates the equal protection component of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment,” and to “hold and declare that [DOT] may not approve any Federal, State, or local DOT-funded projects with DBE contract goals where any DBE in that jurisdiction was determined to be eligible based on a race- or sex-based presumption.”

PSTA has removed all contract specific DBE goals and counting data from its Vendor Compliance System, B2Gnow until such time the UCP that covers PSTA has completed its reevaluation process. This is complying to changes described in 49 CFR Part § 26.111 – DBE Reevaluation Process.

Eligibility Requirements

A DBE is a small business concern that is at least 51 percent owned by one or more individuals who are both socially and economically disadvantaged. In accordance with new IFR definitions § 26.5:

Socially and economically disadvantaged individual means any individual who is a citizen (or lawfully admitted permanent resident) of the United States and who a certifier finds to be socially and economically disadvantaged on a case-by-case basis. A determination that an individual is socially and economically disadvantaged must not be based in whole or in part on race or sex. For that reason, all applicants shall qualify as socially and economically disadvantaged if they can meet the relevant criteria described in § 26.67. Being born in a particular country does not, standing alone, mean that a person is necessarily socially and economically disadvantaged.

§ 26.67 Social and economic disadvantage has been revised as follows:

(a) Non-presumptive Disadvantage. All applicants must demonstrate social and economic disadvantage (SED) affirmatively based on their own experiences and circumstances within American society, and without regard to race or sex.

1) To satisfy the SED requirement and ensure all determinations of disadvantage are not based in whole or in part on race or sex, an owner must provide the certifier a Personal Narrative (PN) that establishes the existence of disadvantage by a preponderance of the evidence based on individualized proof regarding specific instances of economic hardship, systemic barriers, and denied opportunities that impeded the owner’s progress or success in education, employment, or business, including obtaining financing on terms available to similarly situated, non-disadvantaged persons.

(2) The PN must state how and to what extent the impediments caused the owner economic harm, including a full description of type and magnitude, and must establish the owner is economically disadvantaged in fact relative to similarly situated non-disadvantaged individuals.

(3) The owner must attach to the PN a current PNW statement and any other financial information he considers relevant.

PSTA will be monitoring DBE reevaluations and update contract specific goals and counting requirements within its DBE Program in accordance with new IFR compliance. We are also in the process of updating provisions as they pertain to the DBE program and will adjust procurement and goal setting methodologies as well. PSTA will continue to collaborate with regional area small business programs to promote upcoming projects and solicitations.

DBE Program Office Hours

Monday–Friday from 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Important Links

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) DBE Certification

Florida Unified Certification Program (UCP) DBE Directory