Getting Your Business Certified As A Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business
Posted on: 19 October 2016
For many companies, federal contracts mean big bucks. Unfortunately, it isn't usually easy to land a federal contract. However, if you previously served in the military and were disabled, you should consider getting your business certified as a veteran-owned business. By doing this, your business is included on a list that helps federal agencies meet the goal that requires three percent of contracted and subcontracted business to be awarded to small businesses that are owned and operated by service-disabled veterans. Learn how you can get your business certified.
Determine Your Qualification
There are strict requirements for businesses to become certified veteran-owned businesses. So the first thing you need to do is make sure you qualify. In order to get your business certified you must be a service-disabled veteran who owns at least 51 percent of the business applying for certification. Additionally, you must be involved in the day-to-day operation of the business — you don't qualify if the business is simply listed in your name. Additionally, you need to submit your Department of Defense Form 214 (DD 214) to prove that you are a veteran and a letter from the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) that states that you are, in fact, a service-disabled veteran.
Register Your Business
Once you have your paperwork together, registering your business is simple. The entire process is self certifying. All you need to do is take your paperwork to your nearest VA and register your business. You need to keep copies of your paperwork on hand because the individual contracting officer may ask to see your documentation to ensure you are eligible before actually awarding the contract to your company.
Remember These Things
It's important that you understand exactly what the service-disabled veteran-owned business program is if you want to get the most out of it. It's a common misconception that once a business is registered, contracts will start to come in on their own. All federal government agencies are required to contract three percent of contract and subcontracting work to service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, but that work isn't simply awarded at random. In order to land a government contract, you still need to bid on the contract just like you would if your business wasn't certified as a veteran-owned business. The certification lets those awarding the contract know that your business is owned and operated by a service-disabled veteran, which may influence the decision of the person awarding the contract.
The fact is, if government contracts are vital to the success of your company, you should consider obtaining service-disabled veteran-owned business certification. While certification doesn't cause contracts to walk in the door on their own, it could improve your chances of landing the government contracts that you bid on. For more information, talk to a company like Noreast Property Management Corporation.
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