Tips From The Staff/Board

Using Your WBE to Register as a Diverse Supplier with the State of PA

Your WBE certificate is accepted by the Commonwealth of PA Department of General Services as a third-party verification for their Small Diverse Business Program. Please note that this is specifically for doing business with the state government of PA. For opportunities with other government agencies such as counties or transportation offices, please visit those offices’ diverse supplier programs individually.

This information is posted as of September 2020

The Pennsylvania Department of General Services’ Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion & Small Business Opportunities (BDISBO) is responsible for assisting Small and Small Diverse Businesses, including minority business enterprises, women business enterprises, veteran business enterprises, service-disabled veteran business enterprises, LGBT business enterprises, and disability-owned business enterprises, in competing for Commonwealth contracting opportunities. BDISBO, through the Verification Program, verifies self-certified small businesses as Small Diverse Businesses (SDBs) when they hold certifications from approved certifying organizations.

Find the step-by-step process below to complete self-certification as a Small Business and verification as a Small Diverse Business.

 

STEP 1: Register as a Vendor

  1. Go to the PA Supplier Portal at www.pasupplierportal.state.pa.us.
  2. Click on Supplier Registration and follow the instructions. TIP: View the Registration Guide for tips and step-by-step instructions.

 

STEP 2: Small Business Self-Certification/Small Diverse Business Verification

CRITERIA

To self-certify and participate in the Small Business Contracting Program, a business must meet each of the following requirements:

  • The business must be a for-profit, United States business.
  • The business must be independently owned.
  • The business may not be dominant in its field of operation.
  • The business may not employ more than 100 full-time equivalent employees.
  • The business’s three-year average gross revenues may not exceed $38.5 million.

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Have prepared your company’s federal tax returns for the past three most recently completed tax years. You will need page 1 of Federal form 1120, 1120S, 1065, OR the Schedule C filed with your Form 1040. These will be uploaded to the online application in support of your company’s gross sales.
  2. Go to the PRiSM Portal at https://bdisbo.prismcompliance.com/CustomCertApp/ApplicationStart.aspx?j=9qoWxXGezrY%3D&t=101 .
  3. Click Start Application > Start Application
  4. Enter your company’s Tax ID (without spaces or dashes) and 6-digit Vendor ID which you will find as the first six digits of your certification number on your Small Business certificate.
  5. Click Find Me
  6. Click SB Only if applying as a Small Business or SB & SDB if applying as a Small and Small Diverse Business (NOTE: You must have a current certification from an approved third-party to apply as SB/SDB.)

Continue through the application to self-certify as a Small Business and, if applicable, verify as a Small Diverse Business. The attached Small Business Application Guide and Bidding Opportunities Guide provide additional information.

 

ACCEPTED 3RD PARTY CERTIFICATION FOR SDB VERIFICATION

National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC) – Acceptable for MBE verification.

Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) – Acceptable for WBE verification.

PA Unified Certification Program (UCP) or U.S. Small Business Administration 8(a) Business Development Program (SBA 8(a)) – Disadvantaged business certifications acceptable for MBE/WBE verification with additional proof of race/ethnicity or gender.

Vets First Verification Program (VetBiz) – Acceptable for VBE/SDVBE verification.

National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) – Acceptable for LGBTBE verification.

Disability:IN (formerly U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN)) – Acceptable for DOBE/SDVBE verification.

 

Small Business self-certification is immediate. The review process for Small Diverse Business verification takes approximately 15 business days. You can access your Small and Small Diverse Business certificates at any time by entering your Username and Password at http://bdisbo.prismcompliance.com. If you have not done so already, you will be asked to register as a PRiSM user to set up a Username and Password at the end of the application process.

Please contact BDISBO at 717-783-3119 or GS-BDISBO@pa.gov with any questions you may have on the Small or Small Diverse Business programs.

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