Turn your certification into contracts

Work through it

1. Get your certification verified and registered where buyers look Get your certification verified and registered where buyers look — the SBA runs the federal certification process. Open
2. Have these ready
   • Ownership and control documentation — this is what certification actually tests
   • Three years of tax returns, business and personal, for most federal programs
   • For state work, check the Nevada Unified Certification Program separately
3. Flag the certification in your SAM.gov profile Buyers filter for certified firms in the federal system, so the credential has to be recorded where they search, not just held on paper.
4. Check the state program separately (NUCP) Federal certification does not carry to state and local work; Nevada's Unified Certification Program is a separate application for DBE contracting. Open
5. Take it to the Nevada APEX Accelerator A certification makes you eligible for set-asides; someone still has to know you exist, which is what the APEX counselors work on. Open

6. Assuming a certification generates contracts by itself

   Assuming a certification generates contracts by itself. It makes you eligible for set-asides; someone still has to know you exist, which is what the APEX counselors help with.

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