Certification

Certification as a woman-owned business enhances your competitive standing when seeking contracts from prominent corporations and government entities. This credential is a strategic marketing tool, facilitating business acquisition through "set-asides"—designated proportions of contract awards reserved for diverse suppliers.

These opportunities can materialize through direct awards to your company (Tier 1) or by collaborating as a subcontractor with firms securing such contracts (Tier 2). Multiple private organizations and public agencies, including municipal governments, confer various forms of certification. Generally, eligibility requires that your enterprise maintains at least 51 percent ownership and management by women.

NAWBO-Indianapolis itself does not provide funding for women starting businesses. However, the following organizations are helpful resources.

• US Department of Labor: Women Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century
• Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence
• Bank of America Small Business Financing
• Wells Fargo Works for Small Business

The Center for Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership is the definitive resource for insights into the trends, attributes, accomplishments, and obstacles encountered by women entrepreneurs and their businesses.

On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), allocating $658 million in federal highway funds for the State of Indiana. Given the federal nature of these funds, federal law mandates that INDOT and Local Governments establish contract objectives for the engagement of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs). You may qualify for DBE certification if your company is woman-owned or minority-owned, not certified as a DBE within Indiana, and provides services relevant to highway construction projects.

To achieve DBE certification, your business must satisfy the eligibility criteria defined in federal regulations under 49 CFR Part 26, summarized below.

The proprietor of a for-profit enterprise must be a socially and economically disadvantaged individual who is either a U.S. citizen or a lawfully admitted permanent resident. The subsequent categories are presumed to be socially and financially disadvantaged as per federal regulations:

• Female
• Black
• Hispanic
• Asian Pacific
• Asian Indian
• Native American

Though these groups benefit from a presumption of social disadvantage, any individual can establish social and economic disadvantage by providing substantial evidence, following Appendix E of 49 CFR Part 26 guidelines.

The socially and economically disadvantaged owner should:

• Maintain a minimum ownership stake of 51% in the firm.
• Have a personal net worth, excluding the value of their primary residence and ownership interest in the firm, below $750,000.
• Contribute capital for ownership acquisition that is both "real and substantial" and derived from independently owned resources.
• Exercise "control" over the firm's day-to-day operations, indicating proficiency, operational and managerial control, and independence from non-DBE entities.

A DBE business must also qualify as a small enterprise. This implies that a company seeking DBE status should not exceed the Small Business Administration size standards associated with its specific type of business, considering gross receipts averaged over three years (see 13 CFR Part 121). In no circumstance can a DBE business's average gross receipts over three years surpass $20.4 million.

If you believe your enterprise meets the requirements for DBE certification, access the INDOT DBE website for detailed information and the application process.

For those businesses currently holding DBE certification and undertaking highway construction projects, make sure to:

• Review and update your contact details in the INDOT repository to ensure accuracy.
• Enroll in the "Contract Notification List" and explore the "Doing Business with INDOT, Contractors" section for insights into forthcoming contract opportunities. This page contains many resources and links for submitting bids to prime contractors.
• Be aware that INDOT is posting all ARRA-related information online.
• Promote your services and intensify networking efforts with prime contractors. Communicate your awareness of the increased construction projects and express your interest in being part of their bidding plans.