Minority Business Certification Program

The purpose of the Minority Business Certification Program is to increase the opportunity for minority firms to sell their products and services to the State of Wisconsin. A certified minority business is eligible for a 5 percent bid preference on state purchases.

The Wisconsin Department of Administration monitors state agencies' compliance with the purchasing guidelines that have been established for minority business procurement through this Act. The Wisconsin Department of Administration certifies firms for eligibility to participate in the state's minority business bid preference program.

The bid preference program does not apply to printing firms, but they are encouraged to become certified so that agencies can procure printing orders from minority vendors to meet their purchasing goal.

Benefits

• At least 5 percent of state purchasing and contracting is targeted for certified minority-owned businesses.
• Certified minority-owned firms are eligible for a low-bid waiver as long as their bid is no higher than 5 percent of the lowest qualified responsible bidder.
• Certified minority-owned firms are can receive technical and marketing assistance, including participation in Marketplace, a statewide minority business marketing conference sponsored by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
• Certified minority-owned firms are eligible to be listed in the State of Wisconsin's Directory of Minority-Owned Businesses which is circulated to corporate buyers throughout the and state purchasing agents.

Eligibility
A minority-owned business (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or joint venture) must meet the following criteria:

• Belong to an ethnic minority group (Native American, Black, Hispanic, Asian Indian, Asian Pacific, Aleut, Eskimo, or Native Hawaiian). (State statutes do not recognize women as minorities based solely on gender. Therefore, women-owned businesses are not eligible for minority business enterprise (MBE) certification but are eligible for women-owned business enterprise (WBE) certification offered by the Department of Commerce. ).
• Be at least 51 percent owned, controlled and actively managed by minority group members.
• Serve a "useful business function" and have customers other than the State of Wisconsin. 
• Must be at least one (1) year old under current ownership.

How to Apply

• Complete an online application and upload requested documentation (ethnic status of minority owner(s), financial records, going business activity, etc.). Please also read the Minority Business Enterprise Certification Manual. 
• Must provide access to its business facilities and key personnel for the state Certification Consultant's on-site visit.

Out-Of-State Applicants  

• Out-of-state firms must have equivalent certification from an acceptable and recognizable governmental agency, such as state, county or city in their home state. 
• Proof must be provided.  
1. A copy of the letter or official document of MBE certification from the governmental agency in the state which the applicant is incorporated or has its principal place of business

Applications that do not provide proof listed above will not meet standards of certification as an MBE in the State of Wisconsin and will not be considered for certification. The Minority Business Enterprises Program reserves the right to deny certification in accordance with these terms.

If the above proof is available, an out-of-State MBE Certfication applicant must do the following:

• Email proof required above to: comMBD@wisconsin.gov 
• Upon verification and review of proof, applicant will be notified via email to proceed to complete the online MBE certification, and upload all required documents. 
• Visit the online certification application site and register.

Applications and additional information are available from the Wisconsin Department of Administration by contacting:

Bureau of Minority Business Development
PO Box 7970
Madison, WI 53707
Telephone: (608) 267-9550
COMMBD@Wisconsin.gov

WisCert Central (Wisconsin Certification Central)

WisCert Central is your one source for all small, minority, women, veteran and disadvantaged business certification answers.

What is certification?
The small, disadvantaged, minority, women, and veteran (SDMWV) business enterprise certification programs were established to increase business opportunities for the SDMWV business communities with public and private sector organizations, thereby stimulating the state's overall economy.

To be eligible for certification, your company must:

• Be at least 51%-owned and controlled by qualified minorities and/or women.
• Qualify as a small business (no more than 100 employees).
• Be owned by a citizen(s) or resident aliens.
• Be in business for at least one year or have a two-year business plan reviewed by a Certification Consultant.
• Be independent of any other business entity or entities.
• Be a for-profit business (non-profits cannot become certified).
• Provide and be qualified to provide the goods and services for which it is being certified.

Minority Business Certification is a marketing tool used to enhance a firm's ability to do business in public markets. Although certification does not guarantee that a business will be successful every time it bids, it may add a competitive edge to a bid. The State of Wisconsin spends more than $2 billion each year doing business with firms. More than 5% of this volume of business is targeted to certified SDMWVs. Becoming SDMWV certified can help firms seeking contracts with the government.

In addition, SDMWV certification also assists private sector firms in meeting their affirmative purchasing and contracting goals. It does this by providing business development assistance to certified companies through information on procurement opportunities and business resources.

Comparison of Certifications in Wisconsin
Different agencies and organizations in Wisconsin have their own certification programs as they as governed by different state, federal, city, county and even private organizations' laws, ordinances, and statutes and proclamations. For instance, federal regulations allow for the certification of disadvantage and women businesses, while state laws do not.

This file titled "Wisconsin Certifications Grid" will open in a new window and show you the certification organizations in the state.

Visit other Wisconsin certifying agencies

Wisconsin Department of  Administration
Office of the Womens Business Ombudsman
Bureau of Entrepreneurship
201 West Washington Avenue
Madison, WI  53707-7970
Phone: 608-267-0297
Fax: 608-264-6151
http://commerce.wi.gov/BD/BD-WBECertification.html

Milwaukee County
Community Business Development Partners
2711 W. Wells Street, Room 830
Milwaukee, WI 53208
Phone: 414-278-4749
Fax: 414-223-1958
http://204.194.250.11/Service/organizationDetail.asp?id=1040

City of Milwaukee
Emerging Business Enterprise Program
200 E. Wells Street, Room 606
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: (414) 286-5553
Fax: (414) 286-8547
http://www.milwaukee.gov/display/router.asp?docid=1389

Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Office of DBE Program
4802 Sheboygan Avenue, Room 451
PO Box 7965
Madison, WI 53707-7965
Phone: (608) 266-6961
FAX: (608) 267-3641 6150 West Fond du Lac Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53218
Phone: (414) 438-4583
Fax: (414)
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/business/engrserv/dbe-main.htm

City of Madison
Contract Compliance
215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Suite 130
PO Box 1626
Madison, WI 53701-1626
Phone: (608) 266-4082
Fax: (608) 267-1142
http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/affact/AAIndex.html

U S Small Business Administration
310 West Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 400
Milwaukee, WI 53203
Phone: (414) 297-3941
Fax: (414) 297-1377
740 Regent Street, Suite 100
Madison, WI 53715
Phone: (608) 441-5263
Fax: (608)
http://www.sba.gov/wi/

Wisconsin Minority Supplier Development Council
PO Box 8577
Madison, WI 53708-8577
Phone: (608) 241-5858
Fax: (608) 241-9100
http://www.suppliercouncil.org/

Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
260 West Seeboth Street
Milwaukee, WI 53225
Phone: (414) 225-2238
Fax: (414)
http://www.mmsd.com/business/swmbe1.cfm

Dane County Equal Opportunity
210 Martin Luther King Blvd
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 266-5623
Fax: (608)
http://www.co.dane.wi.us/purch/contcomp.htm

Definitions
Note that the minorities and/or women owning such a certified business enterprise should be either citizens or legal aliens with permanent residence status in the United States .

Minority-Owned Business: A business enterprise that is at least 51 percent owned by a minority individual or group(s); or, in the case of any publicly owned business, at least 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more minority groups, and whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more of those individuals. Minority includes, but it is not limited to, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian Pacific Americans and other groups.

Women-Owned Business: A business enterprise that is at least 51 percent owned by a woman or women; or, in the case of any publicly owned business, at least 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more women, and whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more of those individuals. The Wisconsin women-owned business enterprise (WBE) certification became effective June 1, 2007. The Department of Commerce WBE web site contains the application form, document checklist, administrative code, frequently asked questions and other information to assist women interested in obtaining state WBE certification. A directory of women-owned businesses (both alpha by name and industry) is also available from the web site.

Disadvantaged Business: A small business must be at least 51% owned and controlled by a socially and economically disadvantaged individual or individuals. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, Subcontinent Asian Americans, and Native Americans are presumed to quality. Other individuals can qualify if they show by a "preponderance of the evidence" http://www.sba.gov/sdb/nondesig.html that they are disadvantaged. All individuals must have a net worth of less than $750,000, excluding the equity of the business and primary residence. Successful applicants must also meet applicable size standards for small businesses in their industry.