As of July 15th 2020 the SBA’s portal has been opened to allow WOSBs and EDWOSBs to submit documentation to be reviewed by SBA to become certified as a WOSB or EDWOSB business allowing those businesses to be eligible for set-asides. Prior to July 15th the options for certification were to be “self-certified” or to have an SBA approved 3rd party certify a business as WOSB or EDWOSB. See below for a quick high level overview of the program.
Changes:
- Self-certification is no longer allowed and will not be accepted as of October 15th.
- SBA will formally certify a business for the WOSB/EDWOSB program at no cost
- SBA will still accept 3rd party certifications from an SBA approved 3rd To see the approved list: CLICK HERE.
- SBA will accept 8a certified businesses and VA CVE (Center for Verification and Evaluation) as WOSB/EDWOSB. The business must upload appropriate documentation to SBA.
- The website for WOSB/EDWOSB certification is: https://beta.certify.sba.gov/
- For businesses new to WOSB/EDWOSB, you will need to certify at the above stated link.
- For businesses that were previously self-certified, 3rd party certified, or certified as WOSB/EDWOSB through the 8a program will need to upload their documentation to the new site by October 15th.
Challenges:
- There were a number of issues/glitches with the beta.certify.sba.gov website which made it difficult to enter certain pieces of information.
- Many of those issues have since been resolved so if a business started an application but could not finish, they should be able to finish and submit their application now.
Tips:
- Have all of your documentation ready to go prior to starting the application. DOCUMENT CHECKLIST
- If applying for EDWOSB, fill out a personal financial statement ahead of time, this will help make answering the personal financial questions easier. CLICK HERE to find an SBA form. (Note: this form does not need to be uploaded)
- Call a PTAC advisor to help you!