Benefits Of The 8a Certification Program
Name of this certification program was derived from its origination, Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act. In receipt of the 8a Certification, the small business entrepreneurs who belong to the minority group get access to a wide ranging federal business contracts on the basis of soul-source or limited competition. Along with the resource partners Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and Women's Business Centers (WBCs), the SBA provides one-on-one counseling for free in order to assist the prospective minority applicants to prepare the application package for the 8a Certification program. Apart from that, the small business development programs offer in-person business counseling and workshops along with the most beneficial networking opportunities to the applicants at the central and at various other easily accessible business branch locations throughout the country.
The free one-on-one business counseling assistance of the federal government is another benefit you can enjoy with the program. The Small Business Administration also conducts business seminars and workshops, publishes and supplies printed resource guides from and all SBA's District Offices to help and guide the small business owners. These can be the most valuable reference tool for the small scale business companies looking forward to establish a long terms business relationship with the federal government. So, you can say the 8A Certification not only helps you get connected to the prospective federal contracting officers but also leads to all the valuable products of SBA.
Each applicant of the small business certification program remains bonded to the program for a time span of 5 years. However, the contract is renewable for three times of five years each to make it a long twenty years contract. During this tenure the business owners are constantly encouraged to enhance their knowledge from both competitive and institutional aspects. Well, getting into the program is not at all easy for the small business companies- there are certain eligibility requirements that applicants must meet if they intend to apply for the 8A Certification. To the very first place the company must be owned and run by socially and or economically disadvantaged individuals abide by the rules and regulations for application review and evaluation etc.
Even though the 8A Certification program seems to be a long and complicated procedure, considering its various privileges, the federal program is extremely beneficial for any kind of small scale business.