MBE/DBE/WBE, HUD and Veteran Owned Certifications
Application Assistance -$350
Additional charges:
Resume Development - $69 per resume
Business Plan Writing Services - $650
A Minority Business Enterprise certification, or MBE certification, defines your business as being owned, operated, and controlled by a minority group. Certification is a valuable marketing tool for your small business and can give you special consideration when bidding on contracts with local government.
Acquiring MBE certification can expose your business to potential new markets and present you with opportunities that have not always been open to you. However, preparing for the application and making sure you have everything necessary to submit can be tedious and time consuming. We will take the application process out of your hands.
Government (federal and local) contract opportunities have established requirements to subcontract with MBE, DBE, WBE, VOB, and SDVOB companies with specific revenue percentages allocated to these organizations. To achieve these goals, contractors are encouraged to engage in joint ventures, to include organizations as subcontractors.
Prime or Sub?
Prime contractors work directly with the government. They manage selected subcontractors and are responsible for ensuring that the work is completed as defined in the contract. Unlike prime contractors, subcontractors do not work directly with the client, but instead work for the Prime contractor.
XTransit Solutions will help you to identify potential certified subcontractors (NEMT Providers, administrative/staffing functions) to partner with you to win bids for your business. Or you partner as a subcontractor to meet RFP requirements.
You can also partner to bid on Set-Aside Contracts or as a Joint Venture.
The bid solicitation could be a “set-aside”. A "set- aside" is a Federal contract designated for small business bidding only. It is the portion of a contract that is guaranteed to go to a minority owned company under the categories listed above.
Two or more small businesses may pool their efforts by forming a joint venture to compete for a contract award. A joint venture of multiple small businesses still qualifies for small business set-aside contracts if its documentation meets SBA requirements.
The following are small business type and programs that you can certify your company as:
Small Business Enterprise (SBE) - A Small Business (SB) is a concern, including its affiliates, that is independently owned and operated. It is not dominant in the field of operation in which it is bidding on government contracts and is qualified as a small business in its primary NAICS code under the criteria and size standards in 13 CFR Part 121.
Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) - Minority‑Owned Businesses (Non-government Definitions) is a for-profit enterprise, regardless of size, physically located in the United States or its trust territories, which is owned, operated and controlled by minority group members. “Minority group members” are United States citizens who are African-American, Hispanic-American (with origins from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, South or Central America); Native American (American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut, native Hawaiian), Asian-Pacific American (with origins from Japan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacific, Norther Mariana Islands, Laos, Cambodia, Taiwan or the Indian subcontinent). Ownership by minority individuals means the business is at least 51% owned by such individuals or, in the case of a publicly owned business, at least 51% of the stock is owned by one or more such individuals. Further, the management and daily operations are controlled by those minority group members.
Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE) - Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, refers to minority ownership, sometimes includes disabled and residents of economically depressed areas; depending on governing legislation, may or may not include white women.
Women Business Enterprise (WBE) - A Woman Business Enterprise is an independent business concern that is at least 51 percent owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens or Legal Resident Aliens; whose business formation and principal place of business are in the US or its territories, and whose management and daily operation is controlled by one or more of the women owners.
Veteran Owned Small Business Certifications
The Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-461) provides the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with unique authority for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) set-aside and sole source contracts.
This procurement authority, and its subsequent implementation, is a logical extension of VA’s mission to care for our Nation’s Veterans. VA refers to this program as the Veterans First Contracting Program.
The Vets First Verification Program affords verified firms owned and controlled by Veterans and Service-disabled Veterans the opportunity to compete for VA set asides. During Verification, the Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) verifies SDVOSBs/VOSBs according to the tenets found in Title 38 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 74 and 13 CFR Part 125 that address Veteran eligibility, ownership, and control. In order to qualify for participation in the Veterans First Contracting Program, eligible SDVOSBs/VOSBs must first be verified.
As part of the Verification Process, applicants move through four stages: Intake, Assessment, Federal Review, and Decision.
XTransit Solutions will help you maneuver through the applications process to obtain VOSB and SDVOB certifications.
Be on your way to winning bids for your business.
Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) - A Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) is a small business that is at least 51 percent owned by one or more veterans; or, if a publicly owned business, at least 51 percent of the stock is owned by one or more veterans. Also, one or more veterans control management and daily business operations of the firm.
Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) - A Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) is small business owned by a veteran with a service-related disability as defined by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
Opportunities for HUD Businesses
HUD (Historically Underutilized) certified organizations are allotted specific revenue percentages when bidding on contracts. To achieve these goals, Prime contractors are encouraged to engage in joint ventures and to include HUD organizations as subcontractors.
The federal government takes HUD participation seriously, as well as many state and municipal authorities. Cities across the U.S. such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Dallas are racially, ethnically, and economically diverse. So, HUD contracting is a must in large cities across the U.S. And, while the regulations have adjusted over the years to allow for good faith efforts to meet the stated goals, more than likely you will be negatively evaluated or not considered for award if you do not meet these requirements.
