Benefits of becoming a Certified Women-Owned Business include:

A WBE Certification typically gives a business additional preference when bidding on a State or Local Municipality Contract. The WBE for contracts in some states can provide as much as a 10 -25% price adjustment when bidding on these contracts.
More than seventy percent of WBE firms confirm that they have experienced an increase in revenue as a direct result of access to government and large corporate partners.
Referrals are provided to businesses in your regional are looking for partners.
Exposure to large national and regional companies
Corporate buyer match making.
Specifically Developed Education programs and workshops that are specifically tailored for the personal and professional growth of woman owned firms.
Networking events that provide opportunities to create new business relationships.

Important Clarification: Some states combine their Women-Owned Businesses Programs with their Minority Business Enterprise. These programs are often called the DBE or WMBE programs. This is not to be confused with the Department of Transportations (DOT)-run Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) program.

CRITERIA THAT ARE KEY ELEMENTS FOR BECOMING WBE CERTIFIED

	WBE
Ownership & Control	At least 51% of the enterprise must be owned and controlled by a woman who is a US Citizen.
Qualifying Owner’s Personal Net Worth Limit	Net worth requirements vary depending upon each state.
Size Standards	Generally the business concern applying for WBE must be classified as a small business (see below)
Type of Business	Any for-profit business that is independent working as either a primary or subcontractor.
Type of Contract	The preferential treatment provided to the WBE firm generally varies based upon the goals of the state or local governmental entity.
Who can apply	Woman
On-site Inspection	Occurs in the application process for most in-state located firms
Years in business required to apply	Most state only require that the firm be an active business concern. Note: Some states have one or two years in business requirements.
Franchise Eligibility	Franchises are ineligible for this program

WBE CERTIFICATION PACKAGE DETAILS

Initial interview of over thirty questions to make sure the firm is currently eligible for this certification.
A document checklist is created and sent to the client. This will be a list of all the enclosures needed to complete the WBE application.
An analyst is assigned to your firm. The work on your WBE package occurs immediately upon your firm retaining our services.
We review all documentation submitted for potential problems and address these issues prior to application submittal.
We follow a critical path to insure all the needs are being met for application completion.
An analyst will interview you and prepare the economically and socially disadvantaged narrative(s) that are a critical piece of your WBE application.
We will complete the application in its entirety, during this process we will double check the elements to ensure the application justified a favorable outcome.
The timeline for a WBE Application to make it through either a mail in or online application process is around three to four months.

WBE Application Service Fee: $3,500

Additional Certifications*: $1,000.00 each
*Excludes GSA Schedule