How To Become a Certified (Women Owned) Minority Business in the State of Maryland

A certification worth having

The State of Maryland is one of the country’s leaders in terms of goals when it comes to minority (women-owned) business participation in State contracts. However, the process to become women or minority certified by the State of Maryland can be overwhelming. Read below to learn how to be an MBE (Woman-Owned) Certified business in the State of Maryland

So many certifications…which is which?

MDOT’s Office of Minority Business Enterprise (OMBE) is the official certification agency for the State of Maryland for the following certifications:

1. Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)  – State Funded Contracts
2. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)  – U.S. Department of Transportation funded-funded contracts
3. Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise – Airport Concessions contracts
4. Small Business Enterprise (SBE)

The Steps to become a certified (Women-Owned) Business in the state of Maryland 

1. MBE Maryland Application – Applicant submits completed application and all required supporting documentation. Supporting documentation can be everything from financials, to tax returns, to articles of incorporation and more. View a checklist here.
2. Investigation – An investigator reviews documentation submitted by the applicant, and conducts an on-site/job site visit and prepares an investigative report.
3. Determination – MBE Advisory Committee (MBEAC) reviews the investigative report to evaluate whether the firm meets the MBE/DBE/ACDBE program requirements.
4. Certification – MBEAC Chair issues a certification letter and the firm is listed in MDOT’s online Directory.

We hope you’ve found our article How To Become a Certified (Women Owned) Minority Business in the State of Maryland informative and helpful. The process and the details can change, though we try to keep this up to date.  When you learn how to be MBE (Woman-Owned) Certified in the State of Maryland you have a leg up on your competition and can be eligible for lucrative contracts.  The program changes and every year there are updates. To stay abreast the best bet is to bookmark the Office of Small, Minority & Disadvantaged business website to stay abreast of what’s new and how they can help you. 

More resources

Is Government Contracting Right for YOU? By Gloria Larkin

Maryland Office of Minority Enterprise

MBE/DBE/ACDBE/SBE Certification Overview

How to be MBE (Woman-Owned) Certified in the State of MarylandHow to be MBE (Woman-Owned) Certified in the State of Maryland