| By :
Myra Cisse
There is a lot of attention placed on women-owned small businesses and the new SBA program announced this year to strengthen contracting opportunities for women. But let us not now nor ever forget the men and women who served our country. If you are amongst that elite group, then there are set-asides just for you as well. The Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999 set an annual goal of no less than 3% of the total value of prime contacts and subcontract awards for small businesses owned and controlled by Service Disabled Veterans (SDVs). In 2003, the Veterans Benefit Act of 2003 was passed by Congress. This Act established a procurement program for Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns (SDVOSBC). And in October 2004, Executive Order 13360 was signed. This Order required: That each government agency to develop a strategy to significantly increase contracting opportunities with SDVOSBCs That a senior level official be designated to be responsible for leading the agency's strategy and That progress towards the goals and objectives are reported annually to the SBA. The Service Disable Veteran-Owned Small Business Concern program does for SDVOSBC's what the Women-Owned Small Business program does for women. It allows contracting officers to set-aside contracts for competition only among SDV business concerns. The program does allow for sole source contracts up to $5MM for manufacturing and up to $3MM for all other procurement. The requirements to qualify for the program are as follows: The Service Disabled Veteran (SDV) must be disabled as determined by the VA or Department of Defense * The SDV must own 51% or more of the company *The SDV must hold the highest position in the company *The SDV must control the management and operations of the firm *The SDVOSBC must be considered "small" according to SBA's size standards as defined by the primary North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code This program represents a huge opportunity for SDVOSBC's. If you have honorably served our country and you are not taking advantage of the benefits afforded you by the Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999 and the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003, then you are certainly missing out. You have absolutely earned the right to reap the rewards, so get certified so that we can start repaying the enormous debt of gratitude we owe you. We at Certification Consultants LLC thank you for your service.
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