The PennDOT Mentor Protégé Program provides an avenue to connect experienced PennDOT consultants with new and growing DBs, and DBEs to assist with building or expanding their experience in the industry, including assisting them to move into non-traditional areas of consultation work.
Certified Diverse Business (DB) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) desiring to participate in PennDOT’s highway construction program are eligible to receive all DB Supportive Services Center services at no charge.
To be eligible, you must be a Diverse Business (DB) is a for-profit small business or a DBE that is:
A disadvantaged business, minority-owned or women-owned business, or service-disabled veteran-owned or veteran-owned small business has been certified by a third-party certifying organization and is both an ECMS Business Partner and pre-qualified if required.
Certifying Organization:
Interested in the Mentor-Protégé Program?
We can help you navigate the full PennDOT process from Business Partner Registration, Contractor Pre-qualification & Consultant Qualification all the way through to bidding on and executing a contract.
Certified DBEs and DBs desiring to participate in PennDOT’shighway construction program are eligible to receive all DBE/DB Supportive Services Center services at no charge. Download our guide to learn more about participation.
Participation is voluntary. ProRank and PenDot will assist Protégés who cannot find a Mentor. To the extent possible, the MPP will either match Mentor and Protégé businesses of the same field, discipline, and geographic region or will allow the Mentor to pair with a Protégé of their own choosing. Whether established independently or with BDISBO’s assistance, a pairing will not create a contract between the Mentor and Protégé.
Once a Mentor and Protégé are matched and agree to enter into the MPP, they will enter into a “Mentor Protégé Program Agreement” (MPP Agreement) which will define the relationship between the Mentor and Protégé firms and any developmental goals identified by the participants
The mentor and protégé firms will partner to establish protégé firms as experienced vendors for the Commonwealth. Together, they will explore opportunities to provide training and development, share knowledge, and collaboratively review the protégé’s work product.
As an example, a Consultant Mentor / Protégé team pursuing a project would go through the following steps together in the Statement of Interest (SOI)process:
Agree on type of work being sought,
geographic area, other factors
Establish desired subcontract size and any resource limitations
Review project advertisements for
desired work
Identify potential prime contractors
Communicate protégé’s capabilities to
prime
Communicate protégé’s capabilities to
prime
Prepare and Submit bid
Prepare and Submit bid
Protégé sets up meetings and assetment for the project’s development
After project is scheduled the Protégé will perform work
Protégé submits invoice to Prime through ECMS
Prime reviews invoice and pays protégé firm
Post-completion meeting with Prime
with performance evaluation
Project Advertised for an M/P Team
After 2 weeks, project is advertised
Statement of Interest (Proposal)
One Month or more to make
selection
IF PROTEGE WINS:
Notification of Award
IF PROTEGE LOSES:
– Prime requests de-brief meeting
with PennDOT to include protégé.
– Look for the next planned project*
Prepare and Submit Proposal
Signed contract by both PennDOT
and prime consultant
Formal notice to begin work
Includes PennDOT, Prime and
subconsultants
PennDOT issues work orders
Mentor/Protégé divide work based on
agreed-upon qualifications/division of labor
Protégé performs work and submits
to prime for QA/QC
Comments addressed and work is
submitted to PennDOT.
PennDOT reviews and accepts work
or asks for revisions
Protégé submits invoice to Prime
through ECMS.
Prime reviews invoice and pays
protégé firm
Formal consultant evaluation by
PennDOT is at completion of work order
Protégé gains increased
qualifications.