Small Business Certification
The California DBE Reapplication Window Is Open
What Previously Certified DBE Firms Need to Know (March 2026 Update) To recap, the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) effective October 3, 2025, that changed how Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concession DBE (ACDBE) eligibility is evaluated nationwide. The most significant change: Race‑ and sex‑based presumptions of disadvantage have…
Read MoreStop Selling “What You Do.” Start Selling What Public Agencies Buy.
This is not to imply you don’t sell what you offer, but that you define your offer to fit the agency’s needs. Public agencies don’t award contracts to the most ambitious businesses—they award contracts to the most clearly positioned ones. If your offer isn’t framed in procurement language, tied to agency needs, and easy for…
Read MoreBreaking Down the DOT’s New DBE FAQ (October 2025 Update)
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has released its official FAQ on the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concession DBE (ACDBE) Interim Final Rule. This guidance gives long-awaited answers — and softens some of the tough or unclear parts of the rule that took effect on October 3, 2025. Quick Recap of the IFR The new rule…
Read MoreMajor Changes Made to DBE and ACDBE Programs
DBE/ACDBE Interim Final Rule
Read MoreEmpowering HUBZone Small Businesses: Record-Breaking Federal Contract Awards
In a historic milestone for the HUBZone program, small businesses in this category were granted an astounding $16.3 billion in federal contract awards. This remarkable achievement represents the highest amount ever awarded to HUBZone small businesses. Although falling short of the 3% statutory goal, this accomplishment signifies significant progress and opens the door to even…
Read MorePause on New SBA 8(a) Applications
The SBA has paused receipt of new 8(a) applications due to the court ruling by the Eastern District of Tennessee. In short, the ruling challenged the “presumptive disadvantage” of minority groups and therefore, their automatic eligibility for the 8(a) program. The court’s decision ultimately states that the SBA isn’t allowed to use the “rebuttable presumption…
Read MoreTop Eight GovCon Tips for Success In Government Contracting
Government Contracting Keywords
Read MoreYou Need A Past To Build A Future
Five Tips to Build Past Performance You may find the ability to build past performance is kind of like trying to get a job without experience. You can’t get a job because you don’t have experience, but you don’t have experience because you can’t get a job. As a new government contractor, you may have…
Read MoreWhy HUBZone Certification
The Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Certification program was designed to help improve economic conditions in areas of high unemployment. The program offers non-competed (sole source) and reduced competition (set-aside) opportunities among others to certified firms. Approximately only 6,000 firms in the program nationwide. The Federal Government struggles to meet its HUBZone Small Business goals,…
Read MoreState of California Small Business Certification
Get Certified with the State of CA
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