Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise
Certification and Participation Benefits
DVBE Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for certification the business must meet the following criteria:
- Must be at least 51% owned by one or more disabled veterans.
- Have its daily operations managed and controlled by one or more disabled veterans; the disabled
veteran(s) who manages & controls the business is not required to be the disabled veteran business
owner(s).
- Have its home office located in the United States; and the office cannot be a branch or subsidiary
of a foreign corporation, foreign firm or other foreign-based business.
Disabled Veteran Definition
A disabled veteran means a veteran of the U.S., military, naval, or air service, with a
service-connected disability of at least 10% or more, and who is a California resident.
How Do You Get Certified?
The certification process is the responsibility of the Department of General Services (DGS),
Procurement Division (PD), Office of Small Business and DVBE Services (OSDS). The OSDS is available to
assist in completing the necessary documents and appointments are available in Sacramento for personal
assistance and immediate processing. There is no cost involved with applying for certification. You may
also qualify for small business certification, which offers additional contracting benefits. To obtain
DVBE certification, a firm must:
- Submit a completed application (STD Form 812
); and
- Provide a copy of an Award of Entitlement (AOE) letter from the U. S. Department of Veterans
Affairs or the U. S. Department of Defense, dated within six months of the date the application is
submitted to OSDS.
- To obtain a copy of the AOE letter, you may call the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at
1-800-827-1000.
- Other required support documents will be determined when completing the STD Form 812. OSDS can
provide assistance in this area.
You may download forms or apply on-line at
DGS's Certication Applications web site. (Using the on-line application, small businesses may
receive immediate certification. Prospective DVBEs will be prompted to send eligibility documentation.)
Contracting Opportunities
The DGS-PD publishes the online California State Contract Register (CSCR) at
http://www.cscr.dgs.ca.gov/cscr/.
Here you'll find state agency contract opportunities of $5000 or more, listed in 20 different service,
construction, and commodity categories. You can download bid packages, view progress payments and
contracts exempt from advertising, or you can check out the CSCR's two premium online services:
- The Subscription Outreach Service electronically notifies you of specific CSCR contract opportunities
be e-mail or fax.
- The Contractor Advertisements service allows you to advertise for potential business partners to
collaborate on CSCR opportunities.
Please Note: Recent legislation modified Government Code Section 14838.5 providing state agencies
authority to award contracts from $5,000.01 to $99,999.99 for goods, information technology, and
services to certified small businesses and DVBEs. This is authorized if they have obtained price
quotations from at least two responsible and responsive certified small business suppliers and/or
DVBEs.
Need Help or More info? OSDS can be reached at:
Office of Small Business and DVBE Services
707 3rd Street, 1st Floor, Room 400
West Sacramento, CA 95605
(916) 375-4940 or 24 hour Recording: (916) 322-5060
(Web site)
- Small Business and DVBE Certification
- Prompt Payment Rubber Stamp
- DVBE Compliance
- DVBE Utilization Plans
- Trade and Focus Publications
Other Governmental Agencies
U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (Special Programs) - (800) 827-1000 -
www.va.gov
- Disabled Veterans (President's Committee on Employment of People With Disabilities)
- Veterans in Business (Center for Veterans Enterprise)
U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) - (916) 930-3700 -
www.sbaonline.sba.gov
- Starting Your Business
- Your Local SBA Office