More Inclusion for V/SDVOBs

Back in March the State of New York announced the addition of the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOB) classification on the NYS Contract Reporter (NYSCR). This designation will be self-identifying and will allow New York State agencies to enter their SDVOB contracting goals into NYSCR. Though the State is not currently certifying businesses as SDVOBs the inclusion of the designation in the NYSCR shows the continued effort to reach out and include more Veteran and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned businesses in the procurement process.

California and Virginia certify SDVOBs, while New Jersey offers a Veteran Owned Enterprise (VBE) certification; and the City of Indianapolis and the State of Delaware will certify a business as either Veteran or Service Disabled Veteran owned. Delaware even goes one step further, certifying businesses owned by individuals with disabilities – as does the State of North Carolina.

As a D/WBE (Disadvantaged Woman Business Enterprise) we’re thrilled to see individual States’ commitment to assisting and including veteran owned businesses, particularly since the Veterans Administration CVE/VETs-First SDV program has been described as the “the most demanding application process out there” by one of the VA certified VOSBs we know. It was likened to the SBA’s 8a program, but requiring more personal verification. To that end, he made a recommendation that we wanted to share with other V/SDVOBs businesses who are seeking to become verified by the Veterans Administration. In an effort to illustrate “chronic prejudice endured and meet both economic and social disadvantage” he provided the VA with letters attesting to this treatment from professional sources. Though there was some effort involved to find reputed witnesses and have them write letters, he found having them available aided in the verification process.