Get your DVBE credit
Pick the Caltrans contract or state solicitation you are bidding and see exactly what you need to buy through a certified DVBE to meet the goal or earn the incentive — then build that list and send it. Tower DVBE is a California-certified DVBE and Small Business; no account needed.
- 01Pick your bidA Caltrans contract or a state IFB from the live list, or any other solicitation.
- 02See the numberThe DVBE dollars that meet the goal, earn each incentive step, or the SB preference.
- 03Choose suppliesBid items, catalog products or your own list — the meter moves as you add.
- 04Send itWe reply with a firm quote and a signed STD 843 for your bid package.
Your bid
What you need
Pick your bid above to see the DVBE dollars it takes.
Materials you will buy through Tower
Tick the bid items you will buy materials for, then list the materials under each one. Put your price on a line to size the plan, or leave it blank for Tower to quote.
Loading the bid item list for …
| Material | SKU / part # | Qty | Unit | $/unit | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Materials | ||||||
| Enter your bid in step 1 to see how far this goes. | $0 | |||||
Type a material and press Enter to add it as written, or arrow down to pick a Tower catalog match. Leave the price blank and Tower quotes it; your prices only size the plan.
Send the plan to Tower
We reply with a firm quote on letterhead (unit prices and totals) and a signed STD 843 for your bid package — same day for catalog items.
Questions primes ask
Does buying materials from Tower DVBE count toward my DVBE goal?
Yes, on state-funded work. Caltrans gives DVBE suppliers full participation credit when they perform a commercially useful function (Construction Manual 8-405A), and state agencies apply the same rule under Mil. & Vet. Code §999. We negotiate, order, take title, pay the manufacturer and drop-ship to your jobsite. Tower is not DBE-certified, so our supply does not count toward a federal-aid DBE goal.
Which bids are on the list?
Every Caltrans construction contract currently advertised, and the state solicitations Tower is bidding through Cal eProcure right now. If yours is not listed, enter it yourself: the math is the same, and we quote any state, local or private job.
What do I get back after I send the plan?
An itemized quote on letterhead with unit prices and extended amounts — the copy Caltrans requires with your Certified DVBE Summary — and a signed STD 843 DVBE Declaration for state bid packages. Same day for catalog items.
My prices are only estimates. Does that matter?
No. Your prices size the plan so you can see where the goal and incentive steps fall. Tower prices the quote; if we come in lower, add another line or two to stay above the mark.
Can I come back and change it?
Yes. Save & get a link (or your first send) keeps the plan at a private link you can open on any device; we email it to you. Change lines and send again — it updates the same request, and Tower’s prices show up there as we add them.
Can Tower just build it for me?
Yes — use “Rather we build it?” at the top. Give us the bid number and your documents; we build the supply list, price it, and send a firm quote and signed STD 843 the same business day. You get the plan’s link to watch it fill in.
What happens after bids open?
Tell us on your plan whether you won. A win turns our quote into your order and opens your DVBE tracker, which shows what we have billed against your DVBE targets for the participation report. Our bid quotes stay firm through award.
Forms, the 4th-business-day deadline, and what counts.
The 1% threshold and the lesser-of formula, worked through.
The commercially useful function test, and how Tower meets it.
DVBE vs DBE, the calculator, projects with goals bidding now.