Veterans Certification Programs (SDVOSB & VOSB)
The Federal government has a 3% goal for Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses. For every agency except the Department of Veterans (VA) and Federal Aviation Administration, SDVOSB status is self-represented in the System for Award Management (SAM). The VA and FAA require that SDVOSBs and Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs) be verified as such with the Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE)
VOSBs and SDVOSBs have preference when contracting with the VA. The Vets First Contracting Program requires that the VA first seek VOSBs and SDVOSBs for contracting opportunities with the VA. Additionally, the VA has a 17% prime contracting goal for VOSBs and a 15% goal for SDVOSBS. The VA also has a 5% goal for VOSBs and 3% for subcontracts with its large prime contractors. However, in order to count towards these goals, the veteran business must first become verified with CVE.
Learn more about the Government-wide SDVOSB program at www.sba.gov.
Department of Veterans Affairs Veteran Verification Program
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Has Special Authority for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business/Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB/VOSB) Set-aside and Sole Source Contracts. Explore how to do business and get verified with the VA at https://www.va.gov/osdbu/. Click the following link to view the online VetBiz portal to see if your Veteran Owned or Service Disabled Veteran Owned business qualifies for the program.
Biden-Harris Administration to Begin Accepting Applications on January 9 for SBA Veteran Small Business Certification Process
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) began accepting applications through the Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) program as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to expanding access to resources for Veterans and other underserved populations. The improvements in the customer experience for Veteran entrepreneurs and business owners made by VetCert will build upon the $25 billion in government contract spending with service-disabled Veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) in Fiscal Year 2021. The transfer of Veteran certification responsibility from the Veterans Administration (VA) to the SBA aligns with the Biden Administration’s focus on stronger interagency collaboration. The two agencies working closely together to accomplish a complex task benefits not only the Veteran community but the nation as a whole. Click here to read more. [January 2023]
Veteran-Owned Small Business and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business-Certification
The Small Business Administration (SBA) amends its regulations to implement a statutory requirement to certify Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns participating in the Veteran Small Business Certification Program. Previously, to be eligible for VA contracts, VOSBs and SDVOSBs had to be verified by VA’s Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 8127. Section 862 of the NDAA 2021 amended the VOSB/SDVOSB requirements to transfer the responsibility for certification of VOSBs and SDVOSBs to SBA as of January 1, 2023 (Transfer Date) and created a certification requirement at SBA for SDVOSBs seeking sole source and set-aside contracts across the Federal Government. This final rule is effective on January 1, 2023. [December 2022]
Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) Transfer Frequently Asked Questions
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has released a list of frequently asked questions regarding their Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) Transfer. To read, please click here. [November 2022]
VA-Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization Newsletter – Veteran-Owned Small Businesses can receive the latest news, information, and resources relevant to the Veteran small business community via our newsletter — @VAVetBiz NEWS. https://www.va.gov/OSDBU/docs/VAVetBiz_News_Winter_2021_PAB_March_18.pdf (April 2021)
For additional information on this topic, please contact Benjamin Blanc (benjaminb@wispro.org) on WPI’s staff, or call WPI at 414-270-3600.
