The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania encourages the participation and utilization of Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MBEs/WBEs) and Disadvantaged Businesses (DB) in state contracting through vehicles such as the Disadvantaged Business Program and Minimum Participation Levels.

The Disadvantaged Business Program is part of the Commonwealth's Request for Proposal (RFP) procurement process. Vendor proposals that include DB participation earn additional points toward winning contracts.

Learn more about this program by visiting the Disadvantaged Business Program page.

One of the Commonwealth's more common formal purchasing procedures is the Invitation For Bid (IFB). Also know as competitive sealed bidding, an IFB is a formal request inviting Prospective vendors to submit price quotations or bids.

IFBs over a certain amount ($50,000 for construction contracts and $250,000 for service and sole source contracts) have set participation thresholds encouraging Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE) involvement. Called Minimum Participation Levels (MPLs), they require that bidders seek out MBE/WBE suppliers and subcontractors for services and materials that the contract may require, but that they cannot provide themselves.

A few important facts to note:

• MBE or WBE prime contractors do not count toward MPLs, only subcontractors or suppliers.
• A company certified as both MBE and WBE cannot count as double credit.
• Bidders record their efforts to meet MPLs using either MBE/WBE Solicitation and Commitment Form GSMWBE-16 (construction projects) or STD-168 (non-construction projects)

Falling Short of MPLs

The Commonwealth will not necessarily reject bids that do not meet MPLs under certain circumstances, such as:

• Bidder needs no additional materials, supplies, or services to perform the contract,
• Bidder receives a lower quote from non-MBE/WBE suppliers or subcontractors (must show proof), or
• Bidder meets the Minimum Solicitation Requirements

See the Procurement Handbook to learn more.