Overview

Every year, the government is federally required to do business with a certain percentage of each class of disadvantaged businesses. In order to facilitate this, Socioeconomic Certifications were born. Each certification comes with its own benefits and set-aside contracts that are not available to non-certified firms. These programs help historically disadvantaged small businesses succeed in the government marketplace and compete with larger, more established firms.  

Certifications are a way for the government to give you their seal of approval after a thorough review of you and your company. This not only helps you win more contracts, but also gives your company credibility with the government and your private sector clients. We will also discuss starting a company as a minority, the help and benefits you can receive, and the various local, state, and private certifications that are available.

Recommended attending personnel:

Recommended attendees for this briefing include:

• Senior vendor/contractor leadership
• Small Disadvantaged Business Owners (Hispanic, Black, Native, Women, Asian, Pacific Islander, etc.)
• Minorities looking to start their own company
• Business development
• Contract managers
• Contract officers