If you’re a small business owner who belongs to an underserved group, you may be eligible for certain business certifications that can help you access more government contracts and private-sector opportunities.

In Florida, the Department of Management Services (DMS) Office of Supplier Diversity’s goal is to increase the number of Florida Certified Business Enterprises that are minority-owned (MBE), woman-owned (WBE) and veteran-owned (VBE).  DMS works with eligible business owners to process and grant their certification and to ensure they are informed of the benefits of certification. The process includes identifying and certifying eligible Florida-based small businesses through effective and thorough reviews of the submitted certification documents.

Below are the minimum eligibility requirements* necessary to become an MBE, WBE or VBE Florida Certified Business Enterprise (CBE). If you meet these requirements, submit the required supporting documentation to the Office of Supplier Diversity for review.

Your business must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Be legally registered to do business in Florida as a for-profit organization (registration through the Department of State)
• Be based in Florida
• Be owned and managed by a resident(s) of Florida
• Be 51% owned and managed by a minority, woman or veteran who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien
• Be engaged in commercial transactions (currently doing business)
• Be registered in MyFloridaMarketPlace

  (State of Florida’s eProcurement system)

• Have a net worth of less than $5 million
• Have 200 or fewer full-time permanent employees
• Have a professional license, if required by the industry, in the name of the minority, woman or veteran business owner

If you need help determining what documents you need to submit your application for certification, the DMS provides a complete list of documentation, a table to help you determine which documentation is applicable for the type of certification you are applying for, printable forms and a certification checklist to help you keep track of your progress. 

Link to the DMS Office of Supplier Diversity required documentation page

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Documentation Tips:

• Veteran Certification requires a separate Veteran Business Enterprise Certification application that will need to be completed and uploaded in Step 3.
• Woman and/or Minority Certification requires a completed Designation Statement and an SBA(8)(a) Federal Certification that will need to be completed and uploaded in Step 3. Please learn more about SBA(8)(a) by accessing our SBA 8(a) Certification Guide.

You must be a registered vendor on MyFloridaMarketPlace (MFMP) for eligibility to become a Florida Certified Business Enterprise. Once you have completed your MFMP online profile registration, you can find the certification application at the bottom of the “Company Information” tab on your MFMP profile.

MFMP Registration Tips:

• You will need to know your corporate filing information (which can be found at org), including:
  • Your business entity name
  • Date of filing with the Division of Corporations (DOS)
• You will also need to know your Tax ID Number (TIN)
• If you fail to fill in the form completely, you will not be allowed to progress through the registration process. Be advised, the website will not tell you what you missed on the form. Open all sections you completed again and correct the sections marked in red.
• Once you complete the registrations you will receive TWO emails:
  • The first email will provide a 10-digit authentication number for email verification.
  • The second will provide a temporary password that you will use to login the first time. Remember to reset that password.

• Find the certification application
  • Sign in to MyFloridaMarketPlace (MFMP)
  • Click the Profile button in the upper right corner. It will be a circle with your initials.
  • Choose “My Registration” in the drop down. This will open a page that defaults to a “Change Your Password” tab.
  • Select the “Company Information” tab.
  • Scroll halfway down on the company information page and look for “Certified Business Enterprise (CBE)”
  • Chose which options apply and then click the “certify” button on the right-hand side of the page to start the certification application process. You will need your documents ready to upload to the site.
  • Compete all the fields and submit your application.

Any questions you may have regarding the status of your application should be emailed to osdhelp@mds.f.gov.

*Please note that these are the minimum requirements to become certified as a Florida woman, minority and/or veteran business with the State of Florida. These requirements do not guarantee certification. To review the complete requirements, please review Chapter 287.0943(2)(e), Florida Statutes, Chapter 295.187, Florida Statutes and Chapter 60A-9, Florida Administrative Code.