In some cases, getting your business “certified” may help you obtain more business. If you
qualify, many government agencies and large private businesses have various certification
programs that can provide special contracting preferences or benefits. The qualifying criteria
may be based on business size, location, race, gender, or other factors. The certification
process typically involves submitting information about your company to the certifying
organization, so that they can determine if you meet the qualifying criteria.
If your business is seeking to be certified, you should first identify the certification
programs that you qualify for, and the potential benefits that they offer. To learn more about
certification programs that relate to government contracting, contact the
Kentucky Procurement Assistance Program at (800) 838-3266.
If you are interested in getting certified to help you pursue business opportunities with
private businesses, you should contact those businesses to determine what certification
programs they support and/or require.
For additional information or assistance, please email us at
cedsbsd@ky.gov or call 800-626-2250.
Additional Resources:
Federal Government Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) certification program
http://www.sba.gov/sdb/
Federal Government HUBZone certification program
https://eweb1.sba.gov/hubzone/internet/
KY Transportation Cabinet Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certification program
http://transportation.ky.gov/obod/
Kentuckiana Minority Business Council Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification program
http://www.kmbc.biz
Women’s Business Enterprise National Council certification program
http://www.wbenc.org/GetCertified/Default.aspx
National Women Business Owners Corporation certification program
http://www.nwboc.org/certification.html/
United States Women’s Chamber of Commerce certification program
http://www.uswcc.org/html/certification.aspx
Louisville/Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District certification program
http://www.msdlouky.org/insidemsd/diverse/become.html
Louisville Metro certification program
www.louisvilleky.gov/HumanRelations/IWantTo/certificationapplication.htm