What small business certifications are recognized by the Federal government?
The Federal government has socio-economic programs offering certifications for small businesses that could provide contract-bidding preferences. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) handles two certifications for federal government procurement programs: 8(a) Business Development and HUBZone. While completing the above-mentioned ORCA registration for federal contracting, businesses can self-certify that they are any of the following: small business, women-owned business, veteran-owned business and service-disabled veteran-owned business. On the state and local level, each government entity may offer its own certification program. Typically, state and local certifications are Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and Disadvantaged Minority Business Enterprise (DMBE). Fortune 1000 business entities tend to look for DMBE and WBE certifications.
