Certifications
Certifications
The Minority Business Development Division and Minority Business Assistance Centers can help businesses become state-certified in four different programs.
Minority Business Enterprise Program (MBE)
The MBE program is designed to assist minority businesses in obtaining state government contracts for goods and services. The state of Ohio developed the program because it recognized the need to encourage, nurture, and support the growth of minority businesses to foster their development and increase the number of qualified competitors in the marketplace.
Encouraging Diversity Growth and Equity Program (EDGE)
The EDGE program is designed to assist socially and economically disadvantaged businesses in obtaining state government contracts in the following areas: construction, architecture, and engineering; professional services; goods and services; and information technology services. The state of Ohio developed the program because it recognizes the need to encourage, nurture, and support the growth of economically and socially disadvantaged businesses to foster their development and increase the number of qualified competitors in the marketplace.
Women Business Enterprise Program (WBE)
The state of Ohio’s Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) program is designed to assist women-owned businesses in obtaining contracts for goods and services, construction, architecture, engineering, information technology, and professional services. The WBE program does not apply a procurement goal or set-aside target for state government contracts. The state of Ohio developed the program because it recognized the need to encourage, nurture, and support the growth of women-owned businesses to foster their development and increase the number of qualified competitors in the marketplace.
Veteran-Friendly Business Enterprise Procurement Program (VBE)
The state of Ohio's Veteran-Friendly Business Enterprise (VBE) Procurement program provides preference or bonus points to certified companies that compete to contract with the state to supply the goods or services it needs, including eligible construction services.
I'm Certified! Now What? Virtual Workshop
The Department of Development will host five weekly consecutive virtual workshops that have been designed to help businesses that have recently been state-certified in Ohio. Sessions will run five consecutive Wednesdays from Jan. 18, 2023, to Feb. 15, 2023, 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.