8a Certification for Small Disadvantaged Business Owners

While the application process can be long and complicated, the rewards to disadvantaged small business owners of becoming SBA 8a certified are tremendous, well outweighing the upfront difficulty associated with application.

The goal of section 8a of the Small Business Act as it relates to socially disadvantaged groups is to give disadvantaged entrepreneurs fair representation in the federal contracting arena. It does this essentially by:

• Giving small disadvantaged businesses access to sole source/non-competitive set-aside contracts with a value of $3.5M and under for services-related contracts, and $5.5M and under for manufacturing-related contracts.
• Giving small disadvantaged businesses access to competitive set-aside contracts with a value of $3.5M and over for services-related contracts, and $5.5M and over for manufacturing-related contracts.
• Limiting the potential competition of disadvantaged business owners.
• Making it easier for federal prospects to buy from disadvantaged businesses.
• Facilitating an increase in business among socially and economically disadvantaged businesses by decreasing contract award time.

Because these benefits associated with SBA 8a certification are so great, SBA reviewers receive an overwhelming number of applications every year. As this is the case, making their jobs as easy as possible will certainly speed your application process, and just may improve your odds of becoming SBA 8a certified.

Staying Organized

There is a lot of paperwork involved in applying for SBA 8a certification. Organizing the documents in the manner preferred by SBA reviewers is advisable.

Contrary to popular intuition, this does not mean submitting your 8a application in a notebook or binder with tabs. In fact, if you send in your application this way, the SBA reviewer will simply discard the notebook, and re-format your application in their preferred manner, causing delays in your application. Instead, it is best to use binder clips to keep your paperwork together, as these not only function as a binder, but are easily removed as well.

There are, of course, other options when it comes to organizing your SBA 8a application – like not worrying about it. A mistake as simple as formatting your application incorrectly, though all the necessary documentation may be present, can cause serious delays in your application. Why not let a team of 8a program experts that can help your small disadvantaged business succeed in becoming 8a certified worry about it instead?

Putting Cloveer to Work for You

It’s our job to get small disadvantaged businesses 8a certified. We know the tips and tricks that will get your SBA 8a application certified in the least amount of time possible. We have a few options from which to choose:

• 8a Application Accelerator
  • This interactive, web-based program is designed to guide you through the SBA 8a application process with ease. The program takes you step-by-step through the creation and compilation of all the documentation necessary to submit your SBA 8a application. Moreover, it shows you how to organize your 8a application in the preferred SBA format. As the nation’s #1 selling 8a application completion tool, we guarantee that no other program makes the process faster.
• 8a Application Review
  • For those of our customers who wish to complete the application on their own, either using the 8a Application Accelerator or by other means, we offer an 8a Application Review service. Here, an 8a program expert will review your entire application, checking it for missing documents and potential eligibility issues. We will then advise you as to how best to modify your application to ensure it will be approved an SBA reviewer.
• 8a Application Completion Service
  • The majority of our clients however, prefer a little more of a hands-on approach. They recognize the expertise we have accumulated in the over 10 years we’ve been assisting clients obtain 8a certification, and want us to put it to use for them. If you opt for our 8a Application Completion Service, we will work one-on-one with you to ensure that your 8a Application is 100% complete and compliant so the SBA can review and accept it the first time.

With 10 years and over 1,500 successful applications under our belt, we can assure you that no matter which option you choose, Cloveer will work harder and faster to get your business SBA 8a certified. Contact us today to discover what Cloveer can do for you.