What is a City of Houston MBE certification?

What the certification is

The City of Houston runs a certification program through its Office of Business Opportunity for businesses owned and controlled by minority, women, small and disadvantaged owners. An MBE certification recognizes minority ownership and control, verified by the office through an application and review. Certified firms appear in the city’s directory of certified businesses, which prime contractors and city departments use when they need to meet participation goals on city-funded work.

What it does and does not mean

It means the business met the program’s ownership and control criteria at the time of certification and maintains it through the office’s renewal process. It does not by itself qualify a firm for any contract, assure that work follows, or say anything about the firm’s licensing or performance. Those are separate: a security company still needs its Texas Department of Public Safety license, its insurance and its record. For procurement questions about how a certification counts on a specific solicitation, the Office of Business Opportunity and the contracting department are the authorities.

How Price Protection uses it

Price Protection displays the City of Houston MBE mark and the Office of Business Opportunity mark alongside its Texas DPS license, its Texas Statewide HUB mark and its Houston Apartment Association membership, as shown on the licensing page. Public clients and prime contractors who need certified subcontractors for security services can find the company in the city’s directory and confirm the certification there.

Related programs

The State of Texas runs a separate Historically Underutilized Business program through the Comptroller’s office; the Texas HUB certification answer covers it. The public facilities hub describes how Price Protection works with agencies and their procurement rules.