Tuesday Biz Tip: ABC's of Certification Part !

Small Business Certification  Part One

Certification is a procedure that you go through to be recognized by government and corporate  organizations in certain recognized categories.  If you are seeking government or corporate business you really need to understand who, what, where,  when and how of the certification.  

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.

Certification is  offered  by many government agencies and organizations on the  local, state, federal level and  given in the following categories:

• Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) certification is gender-based for woman-owned businesses.
• Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) certification is required for a specific federal purchasing program that has a set-aside for woman-owned businesses. There is also a disadvantaged component to this program, which is called EDWOSB.
• The 8(a) designation is actually a business development / mentoring program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) for a company that has been disadvantaged, and 8(a) certification is part of that program.
• Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) certification is for businesses that are disadvantaged but are not participating in the 8(a) development program.
• Disabled Veteran (DV) certification is for the business owner who is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces and who has been disabled in action.
• Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification is race-based for minority-owned businesses.

Applying for one type of certification DOES NOT give you automatic approval in other groups.  . 

Example:  If you are certified by The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (Penn Dot) your certification is not  automatically accepted by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services.  You must apply to the Pennsylvania Department of General Services and follow their procedure.  

While the standards may be similar for each  department you need to be aware of each department  individual requirements .

Stay tuned:  More information to come on the next posting. 

Information from Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and National Women's Business Owners Corporation.  20012

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