(a) To be an eligible DBE, a firm (including its affiliates) must be an existing small business, as defined by Small Business Administration (SBA) standards. As a recipient, you must apply current SBA business size standard(s) found in 13 CFR part 121 appropriate to the type(s) of work the firm seeks to perform in DOT-assisted contracts, including the primary industry classification of the applicant.

(b) Even if it meets the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section, a firm is not an eligible DBE for the purposes of Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration-assisted work in any Federal fiscal year if the firm (including its affiliates) has had average annual gross receipts, as defined by SBA regulations (see 13 CFR 121.104), over the firm's previous three fiscal years, in excess of $26.29 million. The Department will adjust this amount for inflation on an annual basis. The adjusted amount will be published on the Department's website in subsequent years.

(c) The Department adjusts the number in paragraph (b) of this section annually using the Department of Commerce price deflators for purchases by State and local governments as the basis for this adjustment.