• Must be citizen or lawfully admitted permanent resident of the United States
• Must be an independent entity
• Must be an existing, for profit business
• Must be a "small" business as defined by the Small Business Administration (SBA), 13 CFR Part 121 in Sector 54

The North Carolina Department of Transportation uses Small Business Administration (SBA) size standards to determine whether a business entity is small and, thus, eligible for participation in the SPSF program. Size standards have been established for Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The size standards are expressed either in number of employees or annual receipts in millions of dollars, and indicates the maximum allowed for a business and its affiliates to be considered small.

The applicant must complete a Small Professional Services Firm (SPSF) Contractor's Self-Certification form, in its entirety, and submit it to the Unified Certification Program (UCP). The form will be accepted via fax (if notarized with an ink seal) or regular mail.

Fax number: (919) 733-3584

Mailing address:
NC Department of Transportation
ATTN: UCP
1509 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1509

A firm certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, Minority Business Enterprise, and/or Women's Business Enterprise (DBE/MBE/WBE) under Title 49 CFR Part 26 of the U.S. Department of Transportation qualifies as an SPSF, and does not need to obtain further SPSF certification.

Prequalification is an independent process that evaluates a consulting firm's staffing, experience, equipment, bonding, and financial resources generally required to perform successfully on a project. For more information on Prequalification, contact Mickey Biedell at (919) 733-5616 ext. 313

Certification evaluates the firm's ability to meet eligibility standards. For more information in certification, contact Dianna Turner at (919) 733-5616 ext. 352.

Firms that wish to participate in the SPSF program, as a subconsultant must be both prequalified and certified at the time Letters of Interest are submitted.

For more information about certification, contact Dianna Turner, Certification Officer, at (919) 733-5616 ext.352.

For more information about prequalification, contact Mickey Biedell, Private Consultant Qualifications Engineer, at (919) 733-5616 ext. 313.

For information about subconsultant opportunities, check the Interactive Purchasing System (IPS) at http://www.ips.state.nc.us/ips/srchopen.asp

Submit this information change request form to the Unified Certification Program Unit at 1509 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699 or fax it to: (919) 733-3584.