Administrator Guzman Announces Transformation of Customer Experience for Federal Contracting Certifications
2024年8月1日 - 2:09AM
Today, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small
Business Administration and voice in President Biden’s cabinet for
America’s more than 33 million small businesses, announced plans to
launch a new, streamlined contracting certifications experience
called
MySBA Certifications, enabling customers to apply for
and manage multiple federal contracting certifications in one
place. The new certifications tool — slated to open for new
applicants in September — is a key component of the SBA’s
multi-year transformative modernization of the agency’s customer
experience.
“Small businesses are vital to our federal supply chains – they
bring innovation, agility, and competition into the marketplace
while creating good jobs and strengthening local communities,” said
Administrator Guzman. “Under the Biden-Harris
Administration, the SBA has been elevating customer experience and
modernizing its delivery of products and services across its
programs. MySBA Certifications marks the latest investment which
will make it easier than ever for more small business owners to get
certified and pursue federal contracting opportunities.”
Through the new MySBA Certifications, customers
applying for a new federal contracting certification will be able
to:
- Spend less time
applying with reduced paperwork and streamlined processes
- Apply for and manage
all federal contracting certifications in one place
- Apply for multiple
certifications at the same time
- Access valuable
resources to help them win contracts
Federal small business contractors support one million
good-paying jobs in manufacturing, construction, research &
development, technology, defense, and other vital industries. The
SBA’s federal contracting certification programs enable qualifying
small business owners — including women, veterans, and small
businesses located in historically underserved communities — to
apply for and receive certifications that make them eligible to
compete for and win small business set-aside prime and
subcontracts. The SBA programs or certifications that will be
accessible through MySBA Certifications include:
- Women-Owned Small
Business (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small
Business (EDWOSB)
- Veteran-Owned Small
Business (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business
(SDVOSB)
- Small businesses in
Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone)
- 8(a) Business
Development Program
- Mentor-Protégé
Program
Currently, the SBA’s small business certification programs are
run through separate systems with distinct applications,
compliance, and review procedures. A White House analysis estimates
that 40 percent of small businesses are eligible for multiple
federal contracting certifications but only 10 percent currently
hold more than one. Through MySBA Certifications, small
business owners will be able to apply for and manage multiple
federal contracting certifications in one place providing more
opportunities to bid and win contracts.
The SBA is also making policy changes to simplify the
application process, aligning many requirements across
certification programs and reducing the paperwork burden for
certifying firms, while maintaining a robust certification process
to deliver against individual program objectives and continuing to
ensure the program benefits communities intended to serve.
Together, these changes will reduce the time it takes a small
business owner to complete an application by an estimated 40
percent for a single certification and up to 70 percent for firms
seeking multiple certifications. These improvements are also
expected to reduce average processing times for WOSB and 8(a)
applications by up to 80 percent.
MySBA Certifications advances President Biden’s
commitment to prioritize customer experience across the federal
government and builds on the agency’s multi-year effort to
modernize and simplify its systems leveraging regulatory, process
and technology improvements. The SBA launched two popular platforms
in 2023: the Veteran Small Business Certification program
(VetCert), which approved more than 10,400 applications in its
first year, and the MySBA Loan Portal, which millions of small
business owners have used to manage their loans in one place. In
the coming months, VetCert, the loan portal, and MySBA
Certifications will integrate into one comprehensive and
easy-to-navigate MySBA digital experience.
Small business owners who have already applied or are seeking a
certification renewal will continue to be processed. To support a
smooth transition, earlier this year the SBA extended certification
renewal timelines for one year for many certified firms. Further,
the SBA has been working with partners and community organizations
to ensure federal contractors continue to access these important
programs for the agencies that rely on small businesses to achieve
their missions. More information can be found at
certify.sba.gov.
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About the U.S. Small Business AdministrationThe U.S. Small
Business Administration helps power the American dream of business
ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small
businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the
SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the
resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their
businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers
services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and
partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more,
visit www.sba.gov.
Christine Saah Nazer
U.S. Small Business Administration
(202) 756-0304
Christine.SaahNazer@sba.gov