Small and Socio-Economic Certifications To Help Small Businesses Get Their Fair Share of Government Contracts

Small business certifications are like professional certifications, they document a special capability or status that will help you compete in the marketplace. Unlike permits and licenses, you do not need to obtain certifications to legally operate. However, in order to take advantage of business opportunities, such as government contracts, you may need to obtain some certifications.

Federal, state and local governments offer business opportunities to sell billions of dollars worth of products and services. Many government agencies require that some percentage of the procurements be set aside for small businesses. Having your business certified can definitely aid in you successfully competing for government contracts.

23% of Federal Contracting Dollars are Set-Aside for Certified Small Businesses

Federal Contracts below $250,000 are AUTOMATIC Small Business Set-Asides

(70% of which are directly awarded, bypassing the normal public bidding process)

Federal Small Business Certification

Benefits of a Small Business Certification:

  • Bid on or directly be awarded Small Business Set-Aside Contracts
  • Federal Contracts $250,000 and below are Small Business Set-Asides – 70% awarded directly without the bidding process (important to be found easily)
  • 23% of all federal contracts are Federally Mandated to be awarded to small businesses
  • Be directly found in the Federal Small Business databases by Contracting Officers and Prime Contractors for subcontracting opportunities on contracts over $750,000
  • Be found for No-Bid Contracts below the $25,000 threshold

The U.S. Small Business Administration defines a “small business” in terms of the number of employees over the past year or average annual receipts over the past three years. Size standards vary by industry.

USBRI will complete the entire SBC Certification process for you by:

  • Verifying information, updating & changing info/codes where necessary
  • Creating, optimizing and adding up to 20 focus keywords to your profiles so you are more easily found within the Federal Small Business Databases (similar to a Google Search)
  • Narrative Statement for Contracting Officers and Prime Contractors
  • DSBS Profile / SBA Profile creation and/or optimization of such
  • Small Business Certification (hard and virtual copies provided)
  • USBRI completes the entire certification process for you to ensure it’s completed correctly, quickly and optimally, only pulling you in where absolutely necessary

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Must be considered a small business by SBA standards
  • Must have listed the proper NAICS codes in SAM Registration
  • Must not surpass average annual revenue based on NAICS codes
  • Must not surpass number of employees based on NAICS codes

See If You Qualify as a Small Business

Use the Small Business Calculator to see if you qualify as a small business under current federal small business size standards.

Small Business Calculator
Get Started On Your Certification Now

SMALL BUSINESS CERTIFICATION OPTIONS & ELIGIBILITY TOOLS

Federal Small Business Certification – 23% of ALL Federal Contracting Dollars + All Contracts below $250K are automatic Small Business Set-Asides

VOSB / SDVOSB Veteran Owned Small Business Certification – 3% of ALL Federal Contracting Dollars (SDVOSB) and 7% of the VA’s Contracting Dollars (VOSB)

WOSB / EDWOSB Woman Owned Small Business Certification – 5% of ALL Federal Contracting Dollars

HUBZone Certification (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) – 3% of ALL Federal Contracting Dollars

8(a) Program (Socially or Economically Disadvantaged) – 5% of ALL Federal Contracting Dollars

 

There are many more benefits to each of the above Socio-Economic Small Business Set-Aside Certifications. Click on the link to visit the page to view such benefits as well as check your eligibility for said certification yourself. Answers are immediately provided using the Eligibility Questionnaires located on each page.

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