SBA Certify Portal Applications to be Paused

If you have ever looked into socio-economic certifications through the SBA or “set-asides” as some call them, you undoubtedly have run into SBA’s certify portal. It certainly is a big part of the small business federal contracting landscape, with likely massive numbers of site visitors a day. However, it will soon be updated, causing a pause on new applications very soon.

SBA has put out a webpage informing the public that SBA’s certification portal (certify.sba.gov) will be “upgrading how our customers apply for and manage their federal contracting certifications.” This of course is likely a good thing, as any efficiency in federal contracting is generally welcome by the federal government and contractors alike. However, there are some consequences to the upgrade process that contractors need to be aware of, including application pauses.

The upgrade will “start” on August 1, 2024 and is anticipated to go to at least early September 2024. As part of this, SBA states:

• Initial certification applications will not be accepted during the upgrade period.
• New and prospective applicants for federal small business certification are encouraged to wait until the upgrade is complete before applying.
• Contractors needing to renew during the upgrade period will receive guidance from their certification program.
• Applications submitted before August 1 will continue to be processed during the upgrade period in the order received.

The SBA also claims that the system will be able to take new applications in early September, hinting that the pause in receiving applications will be at least a month long, but leaving the door open for a longer pause. The SBA also assures that contractors already certified “will not be impacted by the pause in applications.” Importantly, SBA states that Contractors facing a proposal deadline that could be impacted by certification status before August 1, or that could be impacted by this application pause should contact: “certifications@sba.gov and provide the contract number, agency, and bid due date.”

SBA states that more resources and guidance will be produced in the coming days, and to review a fact sheet discussing “what to expect.” This fact sheet provides much of the same information as the webpage, but does further clarify the following certifications are “impacted” by the upgrade:

• Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB)
• Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB)
• 8(a) Business Development Program
• Veteran Small Business Certification (VOSB)
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)
• Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) Program

The Fact Sheet also states that the most current guidance will be posted on certify.sba.gov, and individuals can contact the SBA at certifications@sba.gov or 202-205-6459.

The biggest impact of this pause will likely be contractors who are close to applying or planning to apply for a certification through the portal; contractors that have a certification renewal due around or during the pause; and contractors facing certification issues and a proposal deadline around the time of the pause. To prepare for this pause, contractors will likely need to review their certification deadlines, proposal deadlines, and reassess their planned certification application timelines (if they were looking at applying in August 2024 to a SBA socio-economic program). Also, this likely will not be the last the SBA publishes guidance on this pause, so contractors should make sure to routinely check SBA’s websites for further updates and guidance. Luckily, the SBA has requested to be contacted for questions, and even stated that contractors should reach out in certain situations. So, contractors should not hesitate to reach out to the SBA for more information and assistance with understanding this impending certification portal pause.

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