1. LPA Fall Training is set for October 28, 2025 & October 29, 2025 (Part 1):
See links for more information:
2. OFC CCP & LPA Certification Training is set for October 3, 2025 (Part 2)
Note: OFC = Office of Federal Compliance and training is also available on December 12, 2025, see links for more information:
The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced significant changes to the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program.
U.S. DOT has issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that removes the race- and gender-based presumptions of social and economic disadvantage in the DBE program. The DOT cites the constitutional arguments and the judge’s preliminary ruling in the federal case in Kentucky, among other legal precedents. While acknowledging that the proposed consent decree in the court case is still pending and a final ruling not made, DOT states that they have concluded that the rebuttable presumption is unconstitutional and a change to the program is required. That said, this action by U.S. DOT creates the possibility of a legal challenge to the rules change for failure to comply with the Administrative Procedure Act, especially since the underlying lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the DBE program is not yet settled.
The Interim Final Rule states that it will go into effect immediately upon publication in the Federal Register. There is a 30-day comment period, but DOT cites the unconstitutionality of the current law as justification for moving straight to a final rule to take immediate effect.
Going forward, all applicants will have to provide a narrative and evidence of individualized social and economic disadvantage. This is similar to the changes made to the Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) program in response to constitutional challenges.
Key components of the rule:
There are also other changes to record-keeping and recording, goal setting, and how disparity studies are conducted.
The IFR is here.
DOT guidance on the changes is here.
It is not clear when the Interim Final Rule will be published and go into effect. During the lapse in appropriations and government shutdown, the Office of the Federal Register only publishes documents “directly related to the performance of governmental functions necessary to address imminent threats to the safety of human life or protection of property and may publish documents related to funded programs if delaying publication until the end of the appropriations lapse would prevent or significantly damage the execution of funded functions at the agency… unless the document was received and scheduled for publication before the appropriations lapse began.” It’s not clear whether the IFR meets those standards.
It is also unclear whether and when FHWA might update their regulations and guidance for the intersection of the DBE program and QBS procurements under 23 C.F.R. 172.
We are in touch with AASHTO and other stakeholders and will circulate additional information and analysis as it becomes available.
In case you missed Conor Semler’s presentation Prioritizing Safety Through Complete Streets at the NHDOT Partnering Meeting in June 2025, you can now access the slide deck presentation here.
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UNH requires that all graduating seniors participate in our Capstone design experience. This year-long (two-semester) class presents students with an opportunity to work as part of a team to apply engineering, communication, and management skills. At this time, we are contacting engineering companies, municipalities, and public agencies (Project Sponsors) to request proposals for engineering projects for the course. Projects that include multiple engineering disciplines (i.e., structural, geotechnical, environmental, water resources) are strongly encouraged. The project could be one that your firm or agency has completed, is under construction, or entails investigation of potential alternatives for a project being considered. Recent projects undertaken in the course include investigation of a landfill expansion, design of a sewer pump station, design of an airport runway reconstruction, forensic investigation of a bridge collapse, an alternatives investigation for a replacement bridge, evaluation of recreational trail layouts, and reconfiguration of an intersection. This program has proved to be a highly rewarding experience for both the Project Sponsor and the student teams. If you are interested in participating, complete an on-line form found here.
Capstone Program Information
This year’s Senior Class is approximately 60 students that will undertake approximately 15 unique projects in teams of 3-5 students.
We will be selecting approximately 25 projects for consideration by the students. The potential projects submitted will be reviewed and evaluated as they are submitted. Not all projects will be selected by the students and move forward.
Please submit projects no later than August 15, 2025. This will allow for the review projects and scheduling of the presentations. Only one project per company or agency will be accepted for consideration.
The commitment to the program will vary depending upon the size and complexity of the project. However, the time commitment is approximately 8 hours total per month. This includes meetings, correspondence, review of submission, etc. Most of the time spent as a Project Sponsor can be virtual (i.e. Teams, Zoom, email). However, there are a few in-person commitments which include: End of Fall Semester Project Presentation in December, and End of Spring Semester Project Presentation in May.
The student teams are expected to provide timely communication, progress reports, etc. to their Project Sponsor as would be expected for real world projects.
A Project Faculty Advisor will be assigned to each team to provide grades for the assignment and technical guidance. The Project Faculty Advisor will work with the Project Sponsor to manage the student team.
The basic schedule of the Capstone Program can be found here.
Below are links to the posters developed for each project in association with the Undergraduate Research Conference. This will provide an overview of the type of projects that have been undertake in recent years.
https://media-gallery.unh.edu/?page=1&added__year=2023&conference=2&event=4&department=39
https://media-gallery.unh.edu/?page=1&added__year=2024&conference=2&event=4&department=39
https://media-gallery.unh.edu/?page=1&added__year=2025&conference=2&event=4&department=39
Matt Low from Hoyle, Tanner & Associates will again be assisting with the overall development of the class. Please feel free to contact me or Matt (matthew.low@unh.edu) if you have any questions about the Capstone Program. Thank you in advance for your time.
Contact:
Anthony Puntin, P.E., Capstone Coordinator
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
University of New Hampshire
Anthony.Puntin@unh.edu | (603) 496-1784
On Friday, February 7th, 2025, ACEC-NH hosted the 2025 Winter Technical Meeting at NHDOT. This meeting included presentations on Advancing Digital Delivery – VTrans Colchester Project Example, presented by VHB, and Effective Speed Control Measures presented by NHDOT’s Safety Section.
You may download copies of each presentation below. We thank you to all who joined us!