WBE and MBE Certifications

Certification gives women and minority-owned companies the ability to compete for business opportunities to which they may not typically be exposed. Many state, federal, and municipal contracts include a requirement to hire a certified women or minority owned company to perform a percentage of the work. To obtain certification a business must prove that it is 51 percent owned, controlled, operated, and managed by a woman or women. Certification is a serious and time-consuming process which includes formal documentation and a site visit administered by each certifying state, city, and agency. Some cities and states issue an overall minority-owned status MBE, while others make the distinction between women-owned WBE.