Certification is a validation process by a 3rd party certifying

agency that ensures a business is actually owned, controlled,

and operated by a diverse applicant (minorities, women, small

and disadvantaged). This due diligence ensures only those

businesses that meet strict eligibility requirements of the

program are certified. Some third party certifiers include

NMSDC and WBENC.

Business owners must meet certain criteria in order to become certified. There are some basic guidelines and requirements common to many certification programs; however each certifying agency may have additional or different criteria. Some of the basic requirements for business owner certifications are as follows:

The business is 51% or greater owned and controlled by one or more minorities or women. The applicant(s) must be able to show a history of company management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more minorities or women.

The term “minority” refers to ethnic minority of either gender of the following categories: African American, Hispanic American, Native American, Asian-Pacific American and Asian-Indian American. Business owners must be a U.S. Citizen however some certification agencies will accept Legal Resident Alien.

Small Business Administration (SBA) certifications including 8 (a) Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) and Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBZone) have other criteria that must be met. Please refer to www.sba.gov for full descriptions of the certification programs and the eligibility requirements.

What certifications are available?

Certifications are available for minorities, women, disadvantaged, disabled veterans, small businesses and HUBZone. Some local and state governments have their own MBE, WBE and small business certifications. Please check the web sites for your local and state governments for information.