Get started

Terms of service

Last updated November 8, 2026

PART A: ENGAGEMENT AGREEMENT (Terms of Service)

Between Stockman's Energy, Inc., a California corporation, doing business as Steadcert ("we," "us"), and the business named at signup (the "Firm") and each owner who signs (the "Owner," "you").

1. What this is

  1. We help you prepare the documents your Firm needs for its DBE (or ACDBE) reevaluation under 49 CFR part 26:
  2. your Personal Narrative ("PN")
  3. your Personal Net Worth statement ("PNW")

You review, sign and submit them to your certifying agency (your "UCP") yourself. 2. We are not a law firm, and we are not lawyers. We don't give legal advice, and our services are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Nothing we say tells you whether you or your Firm qualifies, or how to make it qualify. 3. We are not the government. We're not affiliated with, approved by or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, any state DOT, any UCP, or any airport or transit agency. 4. You don't need us to file. Filing is free. You can prepare the PN and PNW yourself, or get free help from your UCP's DBE supportive services provider, an APEX Accelerator or a Small Business Development Center.

2. What we do

Depending on the plan you buy:

Guided ($395) Done-With-You ($950)
Online interview about your own experiences (typed or spoken) Yes Yes
Plain-English summary of what the rule and USDOT's published FAQ ask a PN to cover (general information, the same for everyone) Yes Yes
Draft PN organized from your own statements Yes (automated draft) Yes (draft plus written follow-up from a human reviewer)
Gap questions: we point out what's missing and ask you; we don't fill it in Yes Yes
PNW worksheet: we copy figures from the documents and answers you give us onto the USDOT PNW form Worksheet We prepare it; you confirm every line
Human quality review for completeness, consistency and attachments One pass Up to two passes
Filing checklist and deadline reminders for your UCP Yes Yes
Help drafting your own factual reply to a UCP cure or nonresponse notice Not included One reply included

3. What we don't do

We will not: - (a) tell you whether you or your Firm is eligible, or predict the result - (b) advise you on ownership, control, independence, or moving, gifting, retitling or valuing assets to meet any limit - (c) add, invent, exaggerate or "strengthen" facts, or choose which of your experiences to include for you - (d) sign, certify or submit anything for you, log into your UCP account, or contact your UCP or USDOT on your behalf - (e) handle appeals, hearings or any dispute with a UCP or USDOT

For (a), (b) and (e), you may want a lawyer. That's your choice.

4. Your words, your facts, your signature

  1. Everything in your PN must be true and must be your own experience. Your PN is your statement, not ours.
  2. Every fact in our draft comes from what you told us or gave us. Where something is missing, we ask you. We don't guess.
  3. You must read every line of the draft PN and PNW, fix anything that's wrong or incomplete, and approve it before you sign.
  4. You'll sign the USDOT PNW declaration and any UCP declaration yourself. Those declarations are made under penalty of perjury. False statements can lead to:
  5. denial or removal of certification
  6. suspension and debarment
  7. civil penalties
  8. criminal prosecution, including under 18 U.S.C. 1001
  9. We may stop work at any time if we believe something you've told us is false or misleading, or if you ask us to write something that isn't true. If we stop for this reason, we keep the fee for work already done. Section 8 says how much.

5. Owner approval (signed before delivery of the final package)

I have read the final Personal Narrative and Personal Net Worth statement. The facts in them are true and are my own experiences and finances, in my own words or words I have approved. I had the chance to change anything. Steadcert did not add facts, did not tell me I qualify, and did not advise me to change my assets or ownership. I will sign and submit them myself. Owner: ____ Date: ____

6. Your responsibilities

  1. Give us complete, accurate information and documents by the dates in your plan.
  2. Redact Social Security numbers and full account numbers before uploading. The PNW only needs balances and values.
  3. Watch your own UCP deadline. For example, Florida's deadline is "prior to" Dec 11, 2026, and Georgia's is Dec 24, 2026. Every UCP's backstop is no later than Mar 24, 2027, unless your UCP got an extension. We send reminders, but filing on time is your responsibility.
  4. Tell your UCP the truth if it asks whether anyone helped you or who paid for that help.

7. AI and human review

Our interview and first draft use artificial-intelligence software. A person at Steadcert reviews your package before delivery. You're always talking to software in the online interview unless we tell you a person has joined.

8. Fees, refunds and our on-time promise

  1. Fees are flat and paid up front: Guided $395, Done-With-You $950. Sponsored engagements are covered under Part B. We never charge a fee that depends on whether you're certified.
  2. Before your interview starts: full refund on request.
  3. Screen-out refund: if, during intake, the PNW figures you give us are over the published USDOT limit, or you tell us you can't describe any personal experience of disadvantage, we stop and refund in full. We don't decide your eligibility. We just won't charge you to prepare a package that you've told us doesn't meet the published rule on its face.
  4. On-time promise: if you give us everything we ask for by the date in your plan, and we don't deliver a complete, ready-to-sign package by the delivery date we gave you, we refund your fee in full. You keep the work.
  5. After the interview starts: if you cancel, we refund 50% (Guided) or 50% (Done-With-You). Once the final package is delivered, fees are non-refundable.
  6. No outcome guarantee. Your UCP alone decides certification. We don't promise approval, and nobody at Steadcert is allowed to.

9. Confidentiality and data

  1. We keep your information confidential and use it only to provide the services. Part C governs how we handle it.
  2. We never sell or rent your information, or share it with any sponsor, prime contractor, lender or other third party without your Firm's written consent. The only exceptions are our service providers under confidentiality terms, or where the law requires it (e.g., a subpoena; we'll tell you if the law allows).

10. Records

We keep the interview transcript, the source notes linking each sentence of the draft to what you said, your approvals, and the final package for six years. We do this to show, if anyone ever asks, that the words and facts were yours. We delete your uploaded financial documents as Part C, section 5 describes.

11. Limits on liability

  1. Our total liability to you for any claim about these services is limited to the fees you (or a sponsor for you) paid us for them.
  2. Neither side is liable for indirect or consequential losses, such as lost contracts or lost profits, including from a UCP decision or a missed deadline. This doesn't apply to losses caused by our fraud or willful misconduct, or to anything the law doesn't allow to be limited.
  3. You'll indemnify us against claims, penalties and costs arising from false or incomplete information you or your Firm gave us or submitted.

12. Disputes

  1. California law governs, unless your state's law requires otherwise.
  2. Either side may bring a claim in small-claims court.
  3. Otherwise, before filing anything, we'll both try to resolve the dispute in good faith for 30 days by email to help@steadcert.com.

13. General

PART B: PRIME-SPONSORED ENGAGEMENTS ($650 per firm)

B-1. Rider for the sponsored DBE (added to Part A)

  1. [SPONSOR NAME] ("Sponsor") has paid for your Firm's engagement. Your Firm, not the Sponsor, is our client. We work only for you.
  2. Using this sponsored service is voluntary. It creates no obligation to the Sponsor. Using or declining it has no effect on any bid, subcontract, price or business relationship. If anyone suggests otherwise, tell us.
  3. The Sponsor won't see your information. We won't give the Sponsor your PN, PNW, documents, interview, our notes, or your UCP's decision.
  4. With your permission below, we'll tell the Sponsor only whether you enrolled and whether your package was delivered.
  5. [ ] I allow Steadcert to tell the Sponsor my enrollment and delivery status only.
  6. The Sponsor has no say in what your PN says or whether you file it. You make every decision.
  7. You may tell your UCP that a prime contractor paid for this help. If asked, you should.
  8. The refund rules in Part A, section 8 apply, except that refunds go to the Sponsor. Refunds never depend on the certification outcome.

B-2. Key terms for the Sponsor (separate Sponsorship Agreement with the prime)

  1. The Sponsor buys vouchers at $650 per firm and offers them to every DBE on its relevant bid or vendor lists, on the same terms.
  2. The Sponsor will not:
  3. condition any bid, subcontract, payment or relationship on a DBE using or not using a voucher
  4. ask a DBE or us for any narrative, financial or eligibility information
  5. suggest content, review drafts, or seek to influence any DBE's submission
  6. We'll report only aggregate counts, plus the per-firm enrolled or delivered status that each DBE separately authorizes.
  7. The Sponsor acknowledges that we don't provide legal advice, don't guarantee certification, and owe our duties to each DBE, not to the Sponsor. Neither side may use the other's name to imply government endorsement.
  8. Unused vouchers are refundable for 90 days. No fee is tied to certification outcomes.

PART D: FLORIDA CLIENTS: NONLAWYER ASSISTANCE DISCLOSURE (signed at intake)

Steadcert is not a lawyer and may not give you legal advice, advise you on remedies or courses of action, or represent you. Steadcert helps you put your own facts into your Personal Narrative and copies figures from documents you provide onto the Personal Net Worth form. You must read, correct, sign, and submit everything yourself. If you want legal advice about your eligibility, consult a member of The Florida Bar. Name, address and phone of Steadcert: ____ Client signature: ____ Date: ____