What is 8a certification Small Business

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8a certified by the U.S. small business administration

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8a certification consultants

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8a certification requirements

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SBA 8a qualification

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8a certification federal government

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8a certification assistance

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Showing posts with label 8a application. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 8a application. Show all posts

Wednesday, 23 April 2014

How To Evaluate Your Eligibility For 8 A Certification in 4 Steps?

We have been discussing all about the 8 A Certification and its efficacy in helping small businesses flourish, for as long as we can remember. However, little is being said about how a business owner can self-evaluate his/her company’s market standing in order to decide whether they need to apply for SBA 8a Application or not. This post will shed light on this less-discussed issue.



Simply put, here are 4 steps of eligibility to evaluate whether your business requires 8a certification -


1. If you are at social disadvantage – Are you an American Hispanic, an Asian American? Or do you belong to one of the Native American tribes or even a member of the Black American community? In either case, the SBA will consider you as a member of the socially disadvantageous people residing in the United States of America and give you permission to submit 8a certified application. Moreover if you have ever been at the receiving end of any sort of discrimination against you concerning your ethnicity and financial as well as social backwardness, the SBA will grant your case a special status and allow you to pursue the 8a certification program for your enterprise. Further you might be asked to provide a “proof of discrimination” against you / your business, which you may have faced in the mainstream US society , in fields other than business like career, society and education, just to name a few.

2. If your net worth is below $250K – The SBA has designed this 8 A Certification program for those businesses that are economically weak, which means the owners of such businesses must not hold personal assets worth USD 250K and above. If your personal net-worth is below this fixed sum, then obviously you can prepare to submit your SBA 8a Application.

3. If your business indeed fall under the small business clan- “How do I know whether I’m a small business or not?” Well, let me tell you this. A company is determined as small business depending on the number of employees it has as well as the gross income it generates in a single financial term. The NAICS code helps to determine your company’s true status. So get the NAICS code for your business from the SBA website to find out your business size –small, medium or big.

4. If you have a full 51 percent or more business ownership – the SBA has made it clear in their rule book that before submitting their SBA 8a Application, the 8 A Certification aspirant business must provide documents to the SBA which would clearly act as a proof indicating that the owner has 51% or more single ownership of the firm concerned.

These are just the 4 major steps to finding out whether your business is eligible to apply for the 8 A Certification. If you have any comments on any of the information shared, or if you wish to add a keynote on the same, feel free to comment below. Stay connected to Ez8a 8 A Certification blog for more.

Thursday, 13 March 2014

Learn The Several Benefits Of Timing An 8a Certification

Are you a small business owner looking forward to cement your financial stability in the highly competitive market place? Then you must get your business 8(a) certified. However, deciding when to go forward with an 8a application process is something that businesses don’t realize more often. In fact, it’s not an easy decision either. But then, waiting for the right time to apply might hinder your chances of getting your business 8a certified at all. In some cases it might be too late for your company and since you didn’t apply upfront you end up missing out on the lucrative opportunity that SBA 8a has to offer to small businesses. So due to a miss-timing of the 8a application your small business misses out the opportunity of becoming a large federal contractor. But all of these can be avoided if you have known the 8a certification benefits and properly timed your application.

8a certification benefits
EZ8A - 8a certification benefits
Here’s our video explaining all about properly timing your 8a application and what benefits would you be getting out of it. Watch it here –


Now that you know that timing of your 8a application is crucial don’t waste valuable moments. Get In touch with a certified 8a consultant, learn the 8a certification benefits and set your business on the road to unprecedented prosperity.

For more tips and suggestions on small business success and how 8a certification can help fulfil your business goals, stay connected to ez8a.

Monday, 3 March 2014

The Government Mission For GSA Schedule Contract

The primary mission of gsa consultant is to provide help to small and medium size businesses to grow revenues from sales to the federal and state government. They offer various kinds of services to federal and state government employees. Those are:

GSA Schedule Preparation: They save time, money and resources for contract holders. They help to secure GSA Contract Award 6-12 months sooner than if the contract holders opted for in house method. And more importantly, they help contract holders to gain an in depth contract knowledge and proficiency across all GSA schedule.



GSA contract management offers wide range of services related with contract. Most importantly, gsa consultant provide all the adequate knowledge and support related with contract management. They also provide services related with any modification on the contract. Furthermore, they provide other services vary from GSA contract extension to GSA Audit support.



They also maintain all the compliances and regular updates related with GSA contract. Such as, GSA basics, marketing through GSA Contract, Selling through GSA Contract and GSA Compliance.


Experts opined that gsa schedule is a vehicle for both customers and vendors that helps fast, easy and effective contracting. It establishes long term contracts between companies and government agencies. It provides access to numerous numbers of products and services with a discounted price.

One can order products, services and supplies through gsa schedule. Customers who can offer from the schedule will get various opportunities, such as:

Savings.
Flexibility and choice.
Shorter lead time.
Transparency.
Control procurement.
Lower administrative cost.
Reduction of inventories.

It also offers lot of opportunities to the vendors. Through this schedule vendors can connect with various government organisations.

The schedule contracts and sales are all comes under the purview of Trade Agreements Act (TAA). TAA states that goods and services which manufactured or altered in USA or any “designated country” only come under the purview of the schedule. However, there are two major federal regulatory bodies that determine the policy for the schedules program – Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and General Services Administration Acquisition Manual (GSAM).

Monday, 20 January 2014

Criteria Associated With The 8A Certification Requirement


Business procedures behold their origin to the days of ancient times and these have undergone developments in their ways and processes to a considerable extent over years. This has formed the base for the various business initiators to come up with newer trends and practices in association with this so as to carry out these procedures in a smarter and a more profitable manner whatsoever.


8A Certification Requirements
8A Certification Requirements
Businesses have gained grounds in almost every corner of the world and in this regard it has to be mentioned that the United States of America is globally recognized as a business country which gives in for commerce through this means to a considerably high extent, though however on the contrary, a number of business organizations who are not essentially flourished to the same level to which the mainstream business organizations are, have been rooted here. On elaborating this, it has to be pointed out that there are many small-scale business authorities in the land of United States, that have not been able to establish themselves to the extent they had desired to and this is specially on grounds of social deprivation which would include in them the racial status of the business owners, their caste, creed and also financial positions. It is here that the integrity of 8a certification gains grounds. This is an authority which gives in for the required support to these deprived authorities to get them out of their crisis.

The feature of 8a certification requirements signifies the set of distinct criteria that have to be fulfilled so as to get registered with this facility. The requirements would mainly call for the business owners to be genuine by nature along with legitimate citizenship of that country. They must produce legal evidences that prove that they are socially deprived and that another noteworthy feature of the sba 8a qualification is that it requires the business authority to exhibit scope and chances of its betterment through its agenda and strategies to a satisfactory extent, thus making itself eligible for being undertaken by the authorities of the 8a certification authorities whatsoever.

Tuesday, 14 January 2014

Filing A SBA 8A Certification Application Successfully

In the US economy there is enough scope for small and medium scale enterprises to grow. Over the last few years the constant squeeze in the global economy has taken a toll on the US market as well but it has not succeeded in putting the small and medium scale business enterprises out of business. This is largely because the US economy supports the growth small and medium scale enterprises that mainly depend on the local consumers rather than aiming for the global market. The 8a certificate for business can prove to be a leverage for those who at some point of time have faced some sort of discrimination— social, political or economic. However, business owners have to be careful enough while filing a 8a certification application.
SBA 8A Certification Application
SBA 8A Certification Application
The Small Business Administration or the SBA is a federal agency in the United States, entrusted with the task of helping small and medium scale business organizations gain a foothold in the market. The 8a certificate is a special recognition to those who have been subjected to racial, ethnic or economic discrimination in the past without any fault of their own. Business owners with 8a certificate enjoy some distinguished facilities over other businesses. Those who can have 8a certificate include African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and Americans who originate from the Asia Pacific region. Business owners have to take the help of professional lawyers in order to file an application successfully and to avoid complications in future.

People who belong to the economically challenged section of the society are also eligible for an 8a certificate. Business owners with business properties whose net worth is less than $250,000 can apply for a sba 8a certificate. However, in order to apply successfully one has to fulfill each and every criterion down to the last detail. Failure to file an application successfully even once can make all future efforts even harder and so it is better to take the help of a professional law practitioner in this regard. Applicants have to fill each and every field carefully and provide authentic testimonials in support of their statements.

Thursday, 26 December 2013

SBA Federal Contract Opportunities To Women Owned Small Business

SBA 8a certification has offered new opportunities to get more federal contracts for women owned small business. As per its final verdict on the program, it has included a new certification, known as edWOSB (Economically Challenged Women Owned Small Business). As per this new program, women business owners get increased chances of getting the government contracts.
Women Owned Small Business SBA Certification Federal Contract
Women Owned Small Business SBA Certification Federal Contract

Benefits of edWOSB program


As per the new program, women business owners can also win set-aside government contracts
5% of these federal government set-aside expenditure is for the WOSB or edWOSB program
Projects that are less than $3 million and $5 million can take advantage of this set-aside
5% of the subcontract requirements are fixed to wosb from large major contractors
Along with other programs like SDVOSB and HUBZone, this new program has equal opportunity
The new program also has a separate mentor protégé
The program has no term limit
Nearly 83 industries that are qualified by NAICS codes are enlisted in the program
On 45 industries, rule of 2 for wosb is implied
On nearly 38 industries there is no rule of 2 for edwosb companies

How to get 8A Certification


You can get new 8a small business certification in a number of ways, some of which are –

o Third party certification
o Using existing 8a or 8a BD certification
o Using DOT’s DBE certification
o Self certification

Procedure for Self Certification


The procedure for self certification is as follows:

1. As per the SBA final rule guidelines, you need to determine whether you are eligible for the program
2. Your business needs to have at least 51% women ownership
3. The financial threshold of the women owners should be as follows:
o Gross asset should be less than $6 million
o Net worth of business should be less than $750,000
o The annual income or salary of owners should be less than $350,000
4. You need to review 83 industries under NAICS and see whether you are meeting the standardized size
5. As per your business qualification you need to choose either wosb or edwosb program
6. You need to provide documents for the program, which are as follows:
a. Business profile – type, financial statement, tax returns, and so on
b. Owner’s (s’) profile – financial statement, personal tax return, credit history, and so on
c. Management profile – list of employees with residential details, list of officers with residential details, and so on
d. You need to fill out IRS form 4506-T
e. You need to fill out SBA 413 form
f. You need to fill out SBA guidebook’s appendix C, in case you are applying for edWOSB certification
7. You need to register or update (if already registered) your CCR registration
8. You need to complete or update DSBS database of SBA
9. You need to complete or update ORCA database
10. You need to sign all the documents mentioned above with notary affidavit
11. Then submit all the documents along with the application form to repository database of WOSB or edWOSB
12. Need to maintain a duplicate copy for company record

However, if you want to be free from the hassles of so much paperwork and stringent application procedure, you can take help of a professional consultant and pay more attention to increase your business revenue.

Please Check Video  GSA Schedule Contract & 8A Certification

Wednesday, 30 October 2013

Top Ideas To help You Achieve Success As An Entrepreneur

Winners don’t do different things. They do normal things in a bit different way. The maxim is true in its entirety. If you are an entrepreneur by profession and are in the habit of seeking constant streams or sources of ideas you should get the point that every time you might not need a concept which is as new as a new penny just out of the mint. In order to achieve success as an entrepreneur you mint have to mine a little harder. Probably you are going to find a perfect mix and match of the traditional methods as well as some mint fresh concepts useful for your ultimate objective. Here is a quick peep at some quintessential ideas which are going to help you a lot in terms of accomplishing your objectives and set your mark as a visionary entrepreneur of this era.
8a certification

Overcome pessimism


Pessimism can prove to be biggest hurdle for your success as an entrepreneur. It is an impediment as well as a predicament. So you do need to make it sure that you are going to overcome pessimism at any cost. In order to overcome the problem of pessimism you can make use of the technique which renowned and astute motivators would like to describe as ‘auto-suggestions’. It is a particularly useful method which is often adopted by professionals, sports people as well as top notch sales people so that they can tide over the negative feelings that threaten to unhinge their mindset.

Go for a certification program


If your business is in a state of its formative years or in its startup phases then you do need to go for a certification program. You can consider the 8a certification program in this regard. With the help of this kind of a helpful program you are going to win your spur in your respective field of business in due course of time.

Use latest technologies


Use latest technologies such as crowd sourcing, social sharing through internet, life style apps, specific tools for enhancing productivity (TENXER, EVERNOTE). These technologies are gradually turning out to be the tools that change the way business are done on global platforms.

Take care of official red tapes


Take care of official red tapes are going to be a pain in the neck if you are not careful enough about them. Do everything in your power to make sure that the obstructions are well taken care of. If you have to pull strings, then pull strings. Use your connections. You would be surprised to know that an 8 a certification program can prove helpful in this regard. If you are 8a certified then you get to face less amount of stringency from official circles.

In order to give you a final word on this issue, you must make it a point that you are not going to get distracted while making your earnest initiatives. If you have to achieve success as an entrepreneur then you do need to make it a point that you are going to turn out to be more productive in a true sense. You need to reinstate or concretize your business vision. You have to tap into your expertise or potential and most importantly you have to keep asking questions that keep you motivated and help you brave through oddities.

Tuesday, 1 October 2013

7 Common Myths About The 8a Certification

Myth 1 : I can’t get certified if a family member is already in the program

The SBA has a waiver, which can be granted if the two firms are located in and market to a different territory or if they are in different industries.

Myth 2 : A majority of my sales must come from the private sector or I will lose my certification

The SBA has business mixed targets that your firm must meet in the ‘Transitional years’—years five to nine of its certification. In the years 5-9 you must have 15-55% of your sales from the private sector. If you fail to meet these targets you could lose your ability to perform on sole source 8a contracts. Automatically if you don’t make good faith efforts to correct this business mix target, you could lose your certification.

Myth 3: A firm cannot get certified unless it’s been in business for at least two years

The SBA has a waiver, which can be granted to firms that are wanting to obtain the certification sooner than two years. Typical requirements are that:

The owner has a significant business background and has a significant technical background in the industry of the applicant concerned.
The firm has successfully performed on at least one federal contract
The firm has a potential for success indicated by income, profit and the firm must have at least one tax return.
Note a two year waiver is not needed if the only reason the firm is less than two years old is that it has an entity type change. For example, from a sole proprietorship to a corporation.
7 Common Myths About The 8a Certification
7 Common Myths About The 8a Certification
Myth 4 : A firm cannot get certified if it’s had a prior application rejected by the SBA

The SBA rejects 70% of 8a applications for a lack of completeness. Having your application rejected on its first attempt is very common.

Myth 5: An 8a certification isn’t that beneficial for my business

In 2011 8a certified firms received 18.4 billion dollars in federal contracts. This represents 2-3 million dollars in additional annual revenue per 8a certified firm.

Myth 6 : A company should be a well established mid-tier business before applying for the 8a certification

The SBA will certify firms with as little as $100,000 a year in annual revenue. Once certified, the SBA gives the firm the ability to enter into: joint venture and mentor protégé agreements with large federal contractors. These relationships enable the 8a certified firm to greatly increased growth by providing them with expertise, bonding, insurance, financial capabilities and other assistance.

Myth 7 : I must be a 100 % member of a minority group in order to prove SBA that I am socially disadvantaged

If an individual can show a 25% or more blood lineage to a presumed disadvantaged minority group like Hispanic American, African American, Sub-Continent Asian, Asian Pacific American or a Native American, he/she can qualify for an 8a certification. In some cases, the SBA will ask for additional supporting documentation to show that you represent yourself as a member of that presumed group in American society.

Thursday, 19 September 2013

Is Your Business Small Enough To Obtain 8a Certification?

You may own a business, which you consider it to be small. But what is most important is that whether the Small Business Administration considers your business to be small. The SBA will only consider your company to be small if it finds out that you adhere to the size standards set by them. This means only if your company meets the SBA size standards, it will be considered to be a small business by the Small Business Administration. Unless your firm is small, it won’t be able to get the 8a certification.
Now, the question is what is a small business according to the SBA. The SBA defines it either on the number of employees the firm has or on the basis of the annual receipts over the last three years. A manufacturing and mining company should not be having more than 500 employees if the firm wants it to be considered small by the SBA. A non manufacturing firm on the other hand are judged on the basis of their annual revenue, which is set by the SBA as 7 million dollars. This means a non-manufacturing firm shouldn’t have earned more than the specified amount in a year if it wants its business to get approval from the agency for SBA 8a certification.

The Small Business Administration even defines a small sized business as an enterprise, which:

Has a business location in United States
Is established for making profits
Operates mainly within the United States or contributes largely to the economy of U.S. through paying taxes or using American materials, products or labor
Is operated and owned independently
8a Small Business Certification
8a Small Business Certification
The company can be a partnership, sole proprietorship or corporation. Since all the federal agencies should use the size standards set by the SBA for the contracts, you must choose NAICS codes, which best describe the firm and then see if it meets the size standards for the chosen NAICS codes. If you want, you can even make use of the Size Standards Tool for finding out the size of your business.

After you find out that your business is small, there are few more things which you need to make sure your company meets. Your firm apart from being small need to prove to the SBA that it is economically and socially disadvantaged, majority of the company is owned by a disadvantaged individual, the firm has been in business for a minimum of two years and so on. To find out all these requirements of the SBA 8a certification, get in touch with an 8a certification consultant who can explain you in detail about the requirements.

Our Partner: GSA Schedule Contract

Thursday, 8 August 2013

8a Certification: Determine Whether Your AGI is Below $250K

8a certification is a business development program for small businesses. Obtaining this certification is not an easy affair. The United States Small Business Administration is very stringent when it comes to approving the certification for small businesses. It scrutinizes the application in details and if it finds any SBA 8a certification requirement not being met, it rejects the application straightway.

If you are a small business wanting to get 8a certified, you need to make sure you first know the requirements for SBA 8a certification thoroughly. You need to be a ‘small business’ as per the SBA rules, you should be socially and economically disadvantaged not having more than $250K as your average AGI over the past three tax years, the small business need to be owned and controlled by disadvantaged individuals, your business should be 2 years of age at least and the business owner needs to have a good character.
8a Certification
8a Certification
Here we have discussed about how to determine if an 8a applicant’s average Adjusted Gross Income, which should not be more than $250K over the past three tax years.

Before starting, let’s first learn what is an AGI. It’s a tax term for an amount used in the calculation of the individual’s income tax liability. It’s calculated by taking the gross income of the applicant and subtracting the maximum allowable adjustments.

How to determine your AGI for 8a certification?

An easy way to determine if your AGI has exceeded $250K threshold is to add the AGI number for the past three tax years, which is the on the first page of the Form 1040. Add these three numbers, divide them by three and then find out what’s the result? If the amount exceeds $250,000, you need to do more analysis. If the number is not more than $250,000, then be happy you have not exceeded the threshold and that you have met one of the major 8a certification criteria.

If you’ve found out that your AGI is more than $250K, then a further analysis might help you. Sometimes it happens that married couple file their taxes jointly. In such a case, you need to separate your part of income, which is reported on tax return. After doing this, add up the AGI numbers for the last three years and then divide them by three again. If the number exceeds $250,000, you need to do more analysis. If it is below $250K, you can be happy that now you have met the criteria.

However, if the average AGI is more than $250K, there is one more way to see if you still exceed the specified threshold. If your company is an S-Corporation or an LLC you can:

Deduct the income, which is related to the enterprise and that was reinvested into the business, less any distributions.
Deduct the income, which has been used for paying the S-Corporation or LLC federal taxes within one year of the income distribution.

Determining your AGI for 8a certification is a complicated affair. Advance 8a can assist you to determine your Adjusted Gross Income should you require more help.

Tuesday, 30 July 2013

SBA 8a Application: 4 Major Mistakes Applicants Often Make

Do you want your small business to get 8a certified? You first need to make sure whether you are eligible for the SBA 8 a certification requirements. If you are unable to meet any one of them, you will be rejected by the United States Small Business Administration. The SBA is very strict with reviewing the application. Any mistake on your part will delay your request and cause harassment to you or even jeopardize your chances of getting 8a certified by the SBA.
8 a certification
8 a certification
Here in this blog, we have discussed the four major mistakes, which applicants often make while applying for the 8a program. Make sure not to make these mistakes when you apply for the certification program.

Never appoint your better half as the CEO of your company

Many applicants make the mistake of appointing their spouse as the CEO of the firm. This is one of the major mistakes they do. You should never do this unless your better half has a strong background in business management or has held a top management position in other companies in the past. Make sure your spouse has technical credentials as well if you plan to appoint him/her in the position of CEO.  The person you appoint as the Chief Executing Officer of your small firm should have the appropriate skills, expertise, licenses and credentials required to succeed in the industry.

Never obtain contracts from your X-employer

You should make it a point not to acquire contracts from your past employers. If you do acquire contracts from them, it will see as if your form is just a front for them. All you need to do is develop a wide base of clients and have a balanced project portfolio before getting involved in the SBA 8a application procedure.

Never appoint a number of Board of Directors

One of the major mistakes, which small companies often do is, just after few months of their commencement they appoint a number of board of directors. Never do this because you might dilute your firm control or come up with an affiliation or size problem. Carefully vet all the directors and officers before applying for the 8 a certification because these people will need to submit some of their personal documents as part of the firm’s 8a application.

Never show a loss on company taxes

Applicants often think that they might get approval from the SBA if they show the agency that they have incurred losses while running the company. Never do this. Instead show positive equity and positive revenue in your business to prove the SBA that your firm is in a stable and healthy condition.

Always make sure that you do not make these above-mentioned SBA 8a application mistakes if you want your company to get 8a certified at one go.

Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Arranging The Personal Financials Is Compulsory Before Requesting For 8A Certification

If you are thinking to request for the 8A certification without arranging your finances, it is quite certain that your 8A application will get denied. According to the federal rules set of the SBA, your personal finances must be synchronized to get access to federal funded contracts.

Requesting for the 8A programs needs fulfillment of numerous pre-requisites. One of the key requisites to be fulfilled for successful 8A certification is the appropriate planning of your financials. According to the rules of the government programs, if you are requesting for schedule projects you must correctly coordinate the financial position of your firm and deliver your SBA application in a methodical and disciplined way. Professionals suggest that, if you own a small firm and wish to get rid of your personal financial barriers effortlessly to request for the 8a programs, it can be completed in a number of ways namely:
8a Certification
8a Certification
 Assembling a list of the liabilities

Before you request for the 8 A Certification programs, arrange a list of all your incomplete dues and liabilities namely credit card accounts, car payments, mortgages and HELOCs. Agreeing to the SBA, if you are a candidate you must disclose all your liability to the SBA.

Placing papers for all accounts

If you own an account for any liability or asset, appropriate documents must be delivered to display its current value. To validate the existence of such accounts, suitable documents must be offered instead of just word-of-mouth.

Good riddance from debts

If you have any federal obligation such as linens, arrear taxes or student loans it is highly suggested to pay it off. In case you are unable to pay your debt completely, establish up a formal payment option with the leading federal agencies like IRS, SBA, or Department of Education. Ensure that the plan is included in the 8A application before submitting it.

Keep a record of assets

Maintain a record of all your assets before prior sending the application for the 8A program. If you possess an asset together with your spouse, do not forget to indicate it in the list. It is compulsory for you to make the SBA alert of each asset, online accounts or 401k plans you own, prior sending the requesting for 8A certification.

Place your documents in order

After organizing all your documents, use a binder or folder where it can be easily accessed when needed while creating for 8A application. You can utilize your account statement to aid your financials while sending application.

If you do not obey to the basic instructions and layouts set by the government program, your request will get denied. Meeting the financial requirements is one of the rudimentary requirements to get your company 8Acertified successfully. Hence, it is compulsory for you to pay attention to the above-mentioned ideas and solve your financials prior submitting your SBA certification request to bid for government projects.

Monday, 8 October 2012

Basic Facts about 8a Certification

8a Certification
8a Certification
If you have started a small business and wondering where to and how to qualify for a WOSB or EDWOSB program, then the first thing you would need is an 8a certification from the SBA. However, you need to meet some requirements to get eligible for this certification.

To get qualified for 8a certification, you need to have a basic knowledge on it. WOSB or woman owned small business is a Federal program, which offers equal access to women and economically disadvantaged women, owning small businesses for contracting opportunities in the Federal. Through this program, contracting officers can set aside some specific federal contracts and offer them to EDWOSB or WOSB, as per the 300 NAICS codes, mentioned in the federal. Some of the eligibility factors for 8a application approval are as follows:

  • The firm needs to be at least 51% owned by women, who are in unconditional control over administration.
  • All the governing body members (women) need to be the US citizen.
  • Apart from the women, no man should have any control on the firm’s administration.
  • Women, in charge of administration should have adequate managerial experience and expertise.
  • The owners of the firm need to manage full time.

The above-mentioned factors are mandatory for SBA 8a certification for both EDWOSB and WOSB programs. For EDWOSB program, you need to  have some additional requirements, which are:

  • The business should have a net worth of not more than $750,000.
  • The gross income of an individual need to be not more than $350,000 a year for the last 3 consecutive years.
The benefit of 8a certification is that it is a significant marketing tool for economically and socially disadvantaged women, having small business. With this certification, they get access to the federal government contracts. However, in the initial stage, contracting under this 8a program may seem a little hard, because the competition is open and contracts are gained through a procurement of sealed bid. But, in the long run it proves beneficial for both the 8a contractor and the government. To get your 8a application approved by the SBA, you can take help of a professional expert and do away with the application hassles. Every money spent toward the professional consultancy would  worth once you get the certificate.

Friday, 21 September 2012

SBA 8a Consultant Increases The Approval Chances of Your Application!


8a Certification
8a Certification
If you have started a business then you need SBA 8a approval to manage and control the daily operations of your company. To get the SBA approval, it is better to take help of a reliable 8a consultant and increase the chance of approval.

Does taking help of a consultant mean getting a guaranteed SBA approval on your application?

The answer is a definite NO.  If any consultant claims that he can give you guarantee of having your 8a application approved by the SBA, then you better try looking for another consultancy. Apart from the SBA, nobody can guarantee the approval. Beware of the desperate consultancies who promise money back guarantee, in case of rejection of the application. A good consultant would ensure that your 8a application meets all the necessary requirements for getting SBA approval. It can only assure that your application will get a fair review. A good consultant is aware of SBA requirements for 8a certification and sees that there are no irregularities in your application.

How to select a reliable SBA 8a consultant?

When you are looking for a good and reliable 8a consultant, consider the following tips and make your choice:
• Check with BBB: Whenever you come across a consultancy company, the most authentic way to check its credibility is through BBB or Better Business Bureau. If the company is listed in BBB website and has at least a “B” grading, you can say that it is quite reliable. Check out the various customers’ reviews and grievances and see how the company has handled such issues. If the issues have been resolved by the company, you can go ahead with it.

• Check the website: Once you have short listed the consultancy companies from the BBB, you can check out the homepage of each. If the company is reliable enough, it will have a physical address on the website. It will also state its affiliates (if there is any) and state about the principals clearly.

• Check references: The consultancy companies display the list of customers who have acquired certifications with their help. You can directly make a call to these people and check about the company, regarding their service, originally quoted price, duration to get the application completed, process used by the consultancy to manage and collect data submitted by the clients, and so on.

Once you are satisfied with the chosen 8a consultant, you can call them up and speak about your potential problem. If you feel the chosen one is cent percent trustworthy then provide them with the necessary documents and move ahead to get the SBA 8a certification.