Certifications

Business certifications come with various perks and resources that can help your company stand out among competitors and scale your business faster.

Access to contracts: The federal government, as well as certain private-sector corporations, set aside contracts to be awarded to businesses with certain verified certifications. These contracts are only given to businesses with these certifications in order to ensure equal opportunity.

Ability to form joint ventures: Once you become certified, you often can join other businesses within your certification in order to compete for certain contracts.

Additional management and technical assistance: Many of these certification programs offer management and technical assistance to help their businesses grow and succeed.

Federal Certifications

8(a) Business Development Program

There is no fee to apply for this certification. To qualify for this program, businesses needs to:

• be a small business
• not already have participated in the 8(a) program
• be at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens who are economically and socially disadvantaged
• be owned by someone whose personal net worth is $750,000 or less
• be owned by someone whose average adjusted gross income for three years is $350,000 or less
• be owned by someone with $6 million or less in assets
• have the owner manage day-to-day operations and also make long-term decisions
• have all its principals demonstrate good character
• show potential for success and be able to perform successfully on contracts

The Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) program helps small businesses in urban and rural communities gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities.

You will need to renew your HUBZone certification every three years.

Eligibility

There is no fee to apply for this certification. To qualify for the HUBZone program, your business needs to:

• be a small business
• be at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, a Community Development Corporation, an agricultural cooperative, a Native Hawaiian organization, or an Indian tribe
• have its principal office located in a HUBZone
• have at least 35% of its employees live in a HUBZone

Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB)

A Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) is a small business that is at least 51% owned by one or more individuals who are socially and economically disadvantaged. SDB status makes a company eligible for bidding and contracting opportunities with governments and agencies. 

Previously, you had to be certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) or by a private certifying entity to qualify for certain federal programs, but all federal programs for SDB prime contractors have been discontinued.

Now, only government-wide and agency-specific goals for the percentage of federal contract dollars awarded to SDBs each year remain. Subcontracting plans set goals for the percentage of subcontract dollars to be awarded to SDBs and describe efforts that will be made to ensure that SDBs have an equitable opportunity to compete for subcontracts.

How to certify

Firms can self certify and attest to being an SDB rather than needing to go through a formal certification process. Firms can represent that they qualify as an SDB for participating federal subcontracting programs if it is owned and controlled by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. 

8(a) participants are already considered to be SDBs for federal contracting purposes.

Veteran-owned Small Business and Service-disabled Veteran-owned Small Business (VOSB/SDVOSB)

The government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses that participate in the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) program. Joining the disabled veterans’ business program makes your business eligible to compete for the program’s set-aside contracts. You can still compete for contract awards under other socio-economic programs you qualify for.

You will need to renew your VOSB and SDVOSB certification every two years.

Eligibility

There is no fee to apply for this certification. To qualify for the disabled veterans’ business program, your business must:

• be a small business
• be at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans
• have one or more service-disabled veterans manage day-to-day operations and also make long-term decisions
• eligible veterans must have a service-connected disability

How to certify

You can self-represent your business to the federal government as being owned by a service-disabled veteran. You will need to update the socio-economic status section of your business profile at SAM.gov.

The Department of Veterans Affairs, which awards a large amount of contracts to veterans, sets aside contracts for veterans through their Veterans First Contracting Program. Their program is not the same as the SBA’s program. To get access to set-aside Veterans Affairs contracts, your business must be verified through the Vets First Verification Program.

Women-Owned Small Business and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB/EDWOSB)

To help provide a level playing field for women business owners, the government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses that participate in the Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB) Federal Contracting Program.

Joining the Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) and Economically Disadvantaged WOSBs (EDWOSBs) federal contracting program makes a business eligible to compete for federal contracts set aside for the program.

You will need to renew your WOSB and EDWOSB certification each year.

Eligibility

There is no fee to apply for this certification unless you apply through a third party. To be eligible for the women’s contracting program, a business needs to:

• be a small business
• be at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens.
• have women manage day-to-day operations and also make long-term decisions.

To qualify as an economically disadvantaged business within the women’s contracting program, a business needs to:

• meet all the requirements of the women’s contracting program.
• be owned and controlled by one or more women, each with a personal net worth less than $750,000.
• be owned and controlled by one or more women, each with $350,000 or less in adjusted gross income averaged over the previous three years.
• be owned and controlled by one or more women, each $6 million or less in personal assets.

Private Certifications

Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Development Council

The Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification helps minority-owned businesses get private-sector procurement of corporate members of the Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Development Council.

Benefits of being certified include:

• market intelligence in the council’s unique market
• participation in 1-on-1 strategic sessions
• access to programs presenting opportunities in non-traditional areas, professional services, marketing, and branding
• access to council networking and other business events
• access to 5-in-1 industry events
• access to industry-specific forums
• invites to business and outreach events
• access to opportunity meetings
• the opportunity to advertise on the Council’s website
• the opportunity to shadow Executive MBE University
• increased usage of technology for educational programming

You will need to renew your certification each year.

Eligibility

The application fee ranges from $525 to $1,150 depending on the size of your business. To qualify for the program, the business needs to:

• be owned, controlled and managed by US citizens
• have a majority (at least 51%) of owners be racial or ethnic minorities

Women's Business Enterprise National Council

The Women's Business Enterprises (WBEs) certification helps you promote your company to major corporations that are actively seeking to conduct business with women-owned businesses. The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the leading authority on and certifying organization for women's business enterprises in the US.

WBEs get access to a current list of supplier diversity and procurement executives at hundreds of major US corporations and federal, state, and local government entities that accept this certification. WBEs also get formal and informal opportunities to pursue business deals with National Corporate Members and other WBEs.

You will need to renew your certification each year.

Eligibility

The application fee ranges from $350 to $1,250 depending on the size of your business. To qualify for the program, the business needs to be 51% owned, controlled, operated, and managed by a woman or women.

National LGBT Chamber of Commerce

The LGBT-Owned Business Enterprise Certification verifies that eligible businesses are majority-owned by LGBT individuals, and subsequently grants this designation to such businesses as part of its LGBT Supplier Diversity Initiative.

You will need to renew your certification each year.

Eligibility

The $400 application fee is waived for members of local affiliate chambers. To qualify for the program, the business needs to:

• be majority (at least 51%) owned, operated, managed, and controlled by an LGBT person or persons who are either US citizens or lawful permanent residents
• exercise independence from any non-LGBT business enterprise
• have its principal place of business (headquarters) in the US
• have been formed as a legal entity in the US