Businesses have the option of obtaining certifications for minority and women-owned businesses.

Businesses have the option of obtaining certifications for minority and women-owned businesses.

Additionally, there are programs for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (I) and Veteran-Owned Small Business (I) The business owner must be a Veteran or a service-disabled Veteran of at least 51%.

The Department of Veteran Affairs has VetBizOps, just like the General Login System (I) of the Small Business Administration. The veteran can submit the necessary documents to the VA for review through the VetBizOps portal. The Veteran business owner will be recognized as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business upon verification and a site visit.

Businesses also have the option of obtaining certifications for minority and women-owned businesses. National certifying organizations like the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (I), National Women Business Owners Corporation (I), U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce (I), and National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (I) typically evaluate the I or I certifications.

While these certifications won’t let you play in the government sandboxes of the federal and state governments, they will give you the certifications you need to play in the commercial sector. In an effort to diversify their procurement efforts, large businesses typically join one or more of the aforementioned organizations.

Therefore, let’s respond to the question we posed at the beginning of this discussion: which certification is best for you? Well, a lot depends on your company’s goals and objectives. Let me begin by posing additional questions in response to the question.

Who purchases what you produce, sell, or provide? I or I may work for you if the answer to that question is other businesses.

I, I, or 8(a) is more appropriate, however, if the answer is a municipality, military installation, or federal government agency. If it’s both, choose the one that can be obtained in the shortest amount of time, at the lowest cost, and with the greatest potential for profit as your starting point. Later, you can always add more. How long has your company existed? Start with a certification from a national certifying agency and build experience in the commercial sector if you are a young company with little to no experience with larger contracts.

How much experience do you have in the industry you want to target? Even if your target is the federal government and/or the military, you may not need to enter into 8(a) if you have never performed on any government contract.

You can begin by earning experience with another federally recognized certification, such as I or I, if applicable. Have you ever worked as a subcontractor for a prime contractor who wants to collaborate with a company owned by women, minorities, or veterans?

If so, acquire the certification that fulfills that requirement. As can be seen, there is no “one size fits all” solution to this problem. I hope you now have the information you need to choose which of the certifications I’ve looked at are right for you and your business.