More About Acronyms

In November, we talked about ABC’s of supplier diversity nomenclature.  It is a subject full of abbreviations and acronyms that can be completely confusing to a new SDMWVLGBTBE (Small Disadvantaged or Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprise) owner.  The earlier post spells out many of the common terms used when talking about diversity certification.  But who certifies SDMWVLGBTBEs?

Certifiers
Note: This list does not include all state certifying agencies, but references the country-wide Department of Transportation (DOT) based Unified Certification Program (UCP). Information about individual state certifiers can generally be found on their web sites.

• EPHCC: El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a SBA-approved certifier for the WOSB program for both WOSB and EDWOSB status.
• HUD: Housing and Urban Development, a Federal agency that offers its own certification – Section 3.
• NGLCC: National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the 3^rd party certifier for LGBT owned businesses.
• NMSDC: National Minority Supplier Development Council, the 3^rd party certifier for minority owned businesses.
• NWBOC: National Women Business Owners Corporation, a 3^rd party certifier of women owned businesses and a SBA-approved certifier for the WOSB program for both WOSB and EDWOSB status. They also offer a MBE and VBE certification.
• SBA: United States Small Business Administration, certifier for 8(a) and HUBZone and repository holder for the Federal WOSB/EDWOSB program.
• UCP: Unified Certification Program, this program is available in every state and offers DBE certification.
• USBLN: US Business Leadership Network, the 3^rd party certifier for Person with Disability or Disabled owned businesses.
• USWCC: US Women’s Chamber of Commerce, 3^rd party certifier of women owned businesses offering WBE and International WBE certification and is a SBA-approved certifier for the WOSB program for both WOSB and EDWOSB status.
• VA: Veterans Administration, the Federal certifier for Veteran or Service-Disabled Veteran certification. (Some states offer their own veteran owned business certification.)
• WBENC: Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, the largest 3^rd party certifier of women owned businesses and a SBA-approved certifier for the WOSB program for WOSB status only. Also affiliated with WEConnect International, who certifies women-owned businesses internationally including: Canada, China, Europe, and India.

Other Related Acronyms

• BDR: Billion Dollar Roundtable, a group of corporate entities working to increase commitment and spending levels with diverse suppliers.
• CAGE Code: Commercial and Government Entity Code, a unique ID assigned to Federal suppliers.
• DUNS: Data Universal Numbering System also known as the Dun and Bradstreet ID Number, a credit reporting number for your business.
• FAR: Federal Acquisition Regulations, the rules governing how the Federal government procures goods and services.
• FedBizOpps: The website where Federal procurement opportunities are posted by government buyers.
• FEIN: Federal Employer Identification Number
• FSC: Federal Supply Codes, a set of codes the Federal government uses to “group products into logical families for management purposes.”
• GSA: United States General Services Administration, they establish long-term government-wide contracts known as GSA Schedules (also known as Multiple Award Schedules or Federal Supply Schedules). These schedules are organized by the goods, services or products purchased. NOTE: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has their own schedule, the VA Federal Supply Schedules Program, to procure medical supplies.
• Home-State: State in which your business is headquartered or domiciled.
• NAICS: North American Industry Classification System, a way to classify your business (products and services sold).
• NIGP Codes: National Institute of Governmental Purchasing Codes, a way to classify your business (products and services sold).
• OSDBU: Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization, virtually every federal agency has an office to ensure use of diverse businesses similar to supplier diversity in corporate America.
• PNW: Personal Net Worth Statement, a financial reporting document listing short and long-term assets and liabilities of an individual. Required for DBE certification.
• PSC: Product Service Codes, a way to classify your business (products and services sold) – these codes are broken down into three types: products, services, and research and development projects; and are used in the SAM (see below) system.
• PTAC: Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, they provide government contracting (federal, state, and/or local) assistance, at little or no charge, through training and one-on-one counseling. PTACs are part of the Procurement Technical Assistance Program.
• PTAP: Procurement Technical Assistance Program, a program established to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in government contracts.
• SAM: System Award Management, the Federal government’s contracting registration system. You MUST BE registered to be certified by or do business with the Federal government. SAM has replaced the following disparate systems: CCR (Central Contractor Registration), FedReg (Federal Agency Registration), ORCA (Online Representations and Certifications Application), and EPLS (Excluded Parties List System).
• SIC: Standard Industrial Classification, a way to classify your business (products and services sold).
• UNSPSC: United Nations Standard Products and Services Code, a way to classify your business (products and services sold).

Like any other field, knowing the common terminology will help you understand how to take advantage of the opportunities certification presents.