Quick Answer

Confirm the firm holds current MBE certification with the body your owner recognizes — then evaluate it exactly like any general contractor: relevant experience, capacity and bonding, delivery-method fluency, safety, and references. A real MBE prime simplifies your participation compliance instead of complicating it.

Start with the certification — but don't stop there

The first step is straightforward: confirm the contractor actually holds a current MBE certification issued by the body your project recognizes (for example, the Indiana Department of Administration's Division of Supplier Diversity or the City of Indianapolis Office of Minority and Women Business Development). Ask for the certificate, check the expiration date, and make sure it covers your type of work. (Our guide to MBE participation explains why prime-level certification matters.)

But certification only gets a firm in the door. The point of an MBE prime is that a capable minority-owned company actually runs your project — so you still have to vet it like any builder.

The questions that actually matter

  • Relevant experience: Has the firm delivered projects like yours — same sector (K–12, municipal, commercial), similar size, similar delivery method? Ask for specific examples.
  • Capacity and bonding: Can the firm bond your project and staff it without being stretched thin? Ask about current workload and bonding capacity.
  • Delivery-method fluency: Is the firm comfortable with the method you're using — competitive bid, CM at-risk, design-build? (See our delivery-method guide.)
  • Self-performance: Does the firm self-perform any trades (like concrete)? That can mean better schedule control on the critical path.
  • Safety record: Ask about OSHA training, safety programs, and experience on occupied sites if your project requires it.
  • Communication: Will you get straight answers and early warnings, or surprises at the board meeting? References will tell you.
  • References: Talk to owners like you — facilities directors, public administrators — about how the firm actually performed.

Watch for paper compliance

The whole reason to use an MBE prime is to avoid the fragile, hard-to-document arrangements where minority participation exists mostly on paper. A genuine MBE prime is the company managing the project from preconstruction to closeout — not a pass-through. If the structure being proposed feels like a workaround, it probably is.

Cost is not a reason to hesitate

A qualified MBE prime competes on the same cost, schedule, and quality terms as any general contractor. If anything, meeting your participation requirement at the contract level reduces the administrative cost and risk of tracking it across subcontractors. You're not paying a premium for compliance — you're simplifying it.

Where R. Chavez fits

R. Chavez Construction is a certified MBE with the State of Indiana and the City of Indianapolis, with a track record across K–12, municipal, commercial, and concrete work, and we self-perform concrete for schedule control. When we're your prime, your participation requirement is met at the contract level — and you get a real builder running the job. Start a conversation whenever you're ready.

General information, not legal advice. Confirm certification requirements and acceptance with your owner and funding source.