Metropolitan Council Underutilized Business Program (MCUB)

The Metropolitan Council Underutilized Business Program (MCUB) is designed to engage and encourage the use of underutilized Minnesota-based small businesses for the Council's projects and procurements.

MCUB firms can do business with the Council in two ways:

• Through procurements, selling products or services to the Council
• Through projects, as a subcontractor working on the Council's projects

Qualifying as MCUB

In order to qualify as an MCUB firm the business must be Minnesota-based and have an active certification from one of these programs:

• DBE (MNUCP)
• Targeted Group Business (MN Dept of Admin)
• CERT Certified Women Owned or Minority Owned Only (City of St Paul)
• Veteran Owned Business (U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs)

Applying for DBE, Targeted Group or CERT Certification

The Minnesota Department of Administration has created a one-stop-shop certification portal for businesses that wish to submit an application for any of the three certifications listed above.

Directory of MCUB Firms

Firms with these active certifications will be listed in the MCUB Directory, which is updated monthly.

MCUB Participation Contract Goals for Locally Funded Projects

Project contracts will include MCUB participation goals if they meet the following three requirements:

• The project is locally funded
• There are opportunities for subcontractors 
• The contract value is more than $100,000

All bidders/proposers for projects with MCUB goals will be required to meet the MCUB goal percentage. If the bidder/proposers is not able to meet the goal they may receive a waiver from OEO based on their Good Faith Efforts.

MCUB Select

The Metropolitan Council has implemented a sheltered market solicitation process called MCUB Select. The MCUB Select Program is intended to reduce barriers and increase utilization of MCUB firms that do business with the Council.

MCUB Select will apply when at least three MCUB firms are eligible, available and capable of performing the scope of work identified within the solicitation. Only MCUB firms are eligible to participate in the MCUB Select program. Firms eligible to participate in the Council’s MCUB Select program must, at the time of solicitation, qualify as an MCUB.

Procurements eligible for MCUB Select must not have any federal funding nor subcontracting opportunities and must have work scopes that can be performed by eligible MCUB firms.

Firms participating in the MCUB Select Program are considered eligible until awarded and successfully completed projects totaling $200,000 in contract value or three individual projects, whichever comes first.