The Uniqueness of 8a Certification for Small Business

The SBA provides 8a certification to small and disadvantaged companies and firms who are not able to perform in the commercial market. These companies are provided the direct help form the federal itself and we here discuss the distinct features of these services which make them unique.

Talent has no gender- of course, and to promote the fact, it works to promote talent. No gender bias is done. The SBA 8a certification provides certification to women entrepreneurs also to get their share.

It is a big platform- of course, it give the participant or candidates a much better visibility to their audience.

It is weird in its own way- you cannot just understand about the content with a glance. You actually need to think about it to comprehend the matter in it.

Started as a medium for discovery of new talent- it was conceptualized with a single motive, to discover new talent and potential. They wanted the small and disadvantaged companies to come and showcase their products and services in the federal world and earn their share of profit from the same.

Allows carving out a space- for sure; it allows the talents get their share of space which they are eligible for.

The above points actually prove that how 8a certification is unique and exclusively carved for the small and disadvantaged companies.
It is sort of access level to the federal world which lasts for a considerable amount of nine long years, enough time for any company to establish itself. The 8a certification provides benefits them to do business with the Federal and its agencies as well. The eligibility criteria is simple yet it takes a long time as the application is closely review and reviewed by the SBA before awarding the certification.

The Outlook of Small Company Owners For 8a Certification

The 8a certification is provided by the SBA to the small and disadvantaged companies to get benefit from the federal market. These companies often overshadowed by the powerful and strong competitors and are not given a chance to perform in the US commercial market.

The program is entirely designed to let these companies grow in the term of 9 years which is once in a lifetime. Then, they are mature enough to slip into the mainstream commercial market. A very beneficial program indeed.
However, the notion or opinion to procure the 8a certification varies differently from one owner to another. Some believe that there is no need to get the certification for federal contracts, as it does not influence gaining the contract, some find the application process tedious and for some they are not much aware of the 8a program.
For those who are still to explore the program, we here give a video to get an idea about the 8a certification application.

Next let’s understand how the certification holders have an edge over their competitors in the federal market. It is a fact that the contract obtaining process is not influenced by the certification. But, there are certain federal agencies who want to buy only from these 8a participants. Also, they get a chance to the learning process by attending the workshops, programs and other facilities to grow and mature as a top performing company.
There is mentor protégé facility as well for the companies with the 8a certification. So, it is a growing process and the entrepreneur should be aware of it. Doing business in/with the federal is a great chance and missing out the opportunity directly from the government is not a very good thing to do.

The 8a Certification is Not The Thing of Past

With so many companies lying idle with 8a certification in the federal world, there is a common speculation that the minority program is a thing of past. Well, you need to check the statistics to find the real picture. The federal contracts to these small and disadvantaged companies amount to $477 billion in the year 2011.

This is a great figure and companies with 8a certification are missing their share in this amount if they are still not convinced to get on the program. So, understand the criteria well to know how you can take the benefit of the minority program.
To understand the criteria, we here have a video for you to watch to understand the program and its requirements.

There are five main criteria for 8a certification which are divided into 2 main categories. The first is related to the business owner and the second part is to the business.

The benefits of getting entry to 8A program

• The sole source contracts from the federal market generate huge revenues and boost the performance confidence of the company owner.
• Mentor protégé program allows access to large contracts which the small companies are not able to procure single-handily.
• The SBA provides workshops and mentor ship programs frequently to the 8a companies.
• The company with 8a certification has an upper hand over its competitor in the commercial as well s government market.
• The federal market does not allow any prejudice or discrimination against any of the participant company.

The 8a certification from SBA is the minority program for small and disadvantaged companies in the US who are not able to do perform in the commercial market. The term of the minority program is for 9 years and the participation is for once in a lifetime for any applicant.

Why Hire Consultants for 8a Certification Services?

he reason why companies hire 8a certification services is abundant. The minority-owned businesses are blessed with the opportunity to do trade with the federal and its agencies. The chance comes with the participation of 8A program where these companies stand a chance of getting a contract award for up to $4 million in services and goods. Furthermore, the award can increase to $6.5 million for production and manufacturing companies that too with no competition in some cases.

So, these companies want to participate in the 8A program which is once in a lifetime chance. The company can take the benefit of the 8A status once in a lifetime and so they look for the dedicated 8a certification services.

These services provide aid in

• In the application process which includes arranging the documents, filling the application form, checking the waivers in certain criteria and also guiding the applicant correctly.
• The SBA rejects and denies more than half of the application due to any small reason. These services reduce the chance of rejection to the minimum.
• To understand the criteria well, we here give a video for you to understand through the audio-video medium.

• The 8a certification services include guidance on how the program will prove beneficial for the company and
• How to perform in the federal market.

The SBA wants the small and disadvantaged companies to get a fair chance in the federal market. Due to strong and powerful competition in the commercial market, these companies are not able to perform to their potential and so are not contributing to the growth of the country’s economy. The minority certification is the chance from the federal directly and so the companies hire the 8a certification services to get on the program effortlessly.

Here’s The Information You Missed About 8a Certification

There is lot of information about the 8a certification related to the benefits, getting on the program or application process, criteria and also the intention of the SBA program. However, very few of them are aware that a small error or mistake in the application process is enough to trigger the rejection or cancellation of the application.
The program sole purpose is to help the businesses/firms owned by disadvantaged people to get their market share in US by doing business with the federal and its agencies. It is legislated to facilitate the business development program. It is clearly a business development program under the SBA which issues 8a certification to the applicant companies.

What is the term to be on the program?

The term is for a total of 9 years for any company/firm to be on the 8a program. The contract will not be extended for more than 9 years for any reason.
However, a company can voluntarily remove itself from the 8a certification. Violation of any rule or condition can cause termination of the certification as well.

The application can be prepared by anyone, the owner, employee, or the accountant of the company. It is done to reduce the fees paid to the consultant for application process. However, many applications are rejected by the SBA as they find incomplete information or the eligibility is not proved. So the cost benefit analysis should be done while making the application.

The 5 Tips to Get on The 8a Certification Discussed in Detail

For those who do not like reading, we have the video

The video discuses the criteria for 8a certification in detail and encompasses all the waivers, requirement and other issues related to getting on the program. The program was created to help the disadvantaged and small companies to compete in the federal market.
The owners can belong to minorities, females, and other economically or historically disadvantaged individuals who have the complete control over the company or firm.

If you want to get the 8a certification easily we here present 5 tips for you

1. Get register your company with System for Award Management- T o do business with the federal, it is important to get registered with the government database of SAM or System for Award Management. This is important aspect and if you want to know the detail then consult an expert.

2. Arrange the financial documents correctly- a very common mistake but do get plenty of applications cancelled due to this. So, arrange all the documents for 8a certification very carefully before submitting them.

3. Find a wise consulting service- if you need help and want to get the job done perfectly, and then hire consulting services for your application process.

4. Develop a relation with the local SBA- build a strong relation with your local SBA district office as it helps with the right guidance and advice. However, it cannot influence the sped or status of the application for 8a certification.

5. check your application carefully – the application is always examined carefully, but I case of SBA program, be very careful as it can trigger the rejection or cancellation of the application.

How To Fill The Personal Financial Statement for 8a Certification Application

The 8a certification application is not a single document but has many different subs- documents which require be filling and submitting along with. One such document is the personal financial statement. This is a very important document and the applicant needs to fill it completely.

How to fill the form correctly

The first thing to do is to dedicate a couple of hours to do the job. We say so because this will need a good amount of time to fill the form for 8a certification application. Make sure that you provide the information clearly and accurately as possible.
Next, it needs details about your assets, investments, policies, insurance, loans and every detail about your financial status. The columns are divided into 2 categories namely assets and liabilities. So, collect all the details, past and present and then start the work.

The consulting firms help to get the job done

Like the personal financial statement, there are other documents as well as in the 8a certification application. If you find it cumbersome and time-consuming to do the job then hire the consulting services who are expert and qualified to get the job done.
These firms not only guide you to the application process but also figure out the possibility of your firm or company’s product or services in the government market. They not only help in the 8a certification application but also act as a mentor to the entire process.

How Important is 8a Certification for Small Businesses and Firms

For any company or firm, the chance to fulfill the federal order is the opportunity of a lifetime. Again, if the company has 8a certification while fulfilling the federal orders then the company’s goodwill increases massively.

It is so because the federal which is the biggest buyer of goods and services has also a penchant for quality products and services. Also, it requires a huge discount on the price and buys in bulk. This makes the government deal quite a difficult affair.
So, if the company has procured the 8a certification by the SBA, then it not only is eligible for federal contracts but has also increased the goodwill to a great extent.
Getting on the SBA program is not very easy; there are criteria to be fulfilled by providing the documents and filling the long application form. For those who do not want to read the criteria can watch the video below.

The video above discusses in detail the criteria for 8a certification. These criteria might appear simple and straightforward, but to establish them is a tough job. This can be estimated with the number of rejections and denials of the applications submitted. There are almost 75% of the applications rejected by the SBA and the reasons are plenty from incomplete to not having the complete information.

The consulting help

There are consulting firms which provide help in getting the 8a certification for the company. These services save time and effort on getting on the program and also helps to understand if the company’s product or services is required or in demand in the government market.

Watch Out for The Criteria for 8a Certification in Detail

Applicants need to understand the criteria well for the 8a certification granted by the SBA to the small and disadvantaged companies. These company owners often complain of the biased and discriminatory behavior they face in the commercial market.

The SBA provides them with the chance to do trade with the federal with the 8a program better known as minority program. It awards the 8a certification to the eligible company or firm who can meet the federal standard for trade.
To know more, it is advisable to understand the criteria well. For those who do not like reading, we here present video on the same

Still, we recommend you to read on the criteria which are segmented into 2 parts

The criteria related to the company owner

• Establishing the owner of the firm is socially disadvantaged
• Establishing the owner if the firm is economically disadvantaged
• The owner must be free from ethical issues

The criteria related to the business

• The owner must have unconditional control over the firm and
• The firm must have the potential to complete the federal contracts

Getting the 8a certification is a long and tedious process. The SBA makes sure that it awards the right company which can sustain the federal standards of quality products and heavy discount. Many entrepreneurs fail in their application process as the applications are either incomplete or the documents submitted are not sufficient.

To avoid such unfortunate incidents, there are consulting firms which provide the right guidance and help to get the 8a certification. They provide the right guidance, build the navigation map and also help in procuring and arranging the documents and then help to submit it correctly for approval to the SBA.

Why Decide for The Services of 8a Certification Consultants

The services of 8a certification consultants include responsibilities which is to help the applicant companies to get on the program, helping to prepare the application and documents, and do marketing in the federal market for establishing and creating a niche for it.

The percentage of rejection for the application is huge which amounts to more than 75% and so the need for the consulting services arises. These services are never mandatory and it is upon the choice of the applicant to hire the 8a certification consultants.
The applicant does not want the application to get rejected or denied as it means a tremendous loss of time and money. Though the process does not include any expenses, yet the time involved is really precious. Once the entrepreneur has decided to do trade with the federal, it never ceases to try for the application. They will try again and again to get the opportunity to do trade in the federal market and the 8a certification consultants are the people to help them in the process.

The business owner of small and disadvantaged businesses applies to the 8a program to do trade in the government market. The program supports the small disadvantaged firms and companies who are victims of discrimination by strong competitors in the commercial market.
The 8a certification by the SBA is for small and disadvantaged companies in the US who do not get a chance in the commercial market. The minority program by the SBA gives them a chance to do business in the Federal market.