SB/DVBE Eligibility
Requirements
Small Businesses (SB) have to be:
- Independently owned and operated
- Not dominant in their field of operation
- The principal office must be located in California
- Owners must live in California
- Have 100 or fewer employees and an average annual gross receipts of $15 million or less over the last 3 tax years *There may also be other size standard restrictions from the Small Business Administration that are applicable
- Small Business will automatically be designated a Microbusiness (MB) if gross annual receipts are less than $3.5 million or if it is a manufacturer with 25 employees or less
Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) Firms have to be:
- At least 51% owned by one or more disabled veterans
- Veteran(s) must reside in California
- Daily business operations must be managed and controlled by one or more disabled veterans
- Home office must be located in the U.S.
- “Disabled Veteran” means a veteran of the U.S. military, naval, or air service and has a service-connected disability of 10% or more
- DVBE certification is good for 1 year and must be renewed annually *If also certified as a SB/MB, then certification is good for 2 years
Small Businesses and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise firms are certified by the Department of General Services, Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services (OSDS).
Contact: (916) 375-4940 or OSDSHelp@dgs.ca.gov