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The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 directed the Small Business Administration (SBA) to create a Governmentwide certification program for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses. Effective January 1, 2023, SBA assumed responsibility for certifying Veteran-Owned small firms. If you have questions, please contact SBA at vetcert@sba.gov. You can also call 800-862-8088, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. EST to speak to an SBA representative about the Veteran certification program or visit Veteran Small Business Certification.(sba.gov)

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Outreach

Outreach involves extending ourselves, our talents, our resources, to help others. OSDBU Strategic Outreach and Communications ensures that Veteran-owned and other small businesses have access to programs and services to increase their participation in the federal marketplace thru our outreach activities.

Connect SBs to SBLs

VA OSDBU's Education and Training team is responsible for providing access to small businesses (SBs) by connecting them with their prospective Small Business Liaison (SBL) based on the geographical location of their business and community of interest. There are 18 Geographical VISNs, these VISNs are identified by numbers (1-23).

Connect VOSBs to Appropriate PDMs and SBLs

THE NVSBE directly connects Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs) with Procurement Decision Makers (PDMs) from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), other federal agencies, with small business needs to help them to successful compete for procurement contracts.

Connect PDMs to Identified VOSBs

Market Research is conducted by VA PDMs / Acquisition staff to develop effective acquisition strategies. It helps to determine the extent of competition in an industry and determine whether VA can meet the “Rule of Two” requirements per the Kingdom ware decision.

Capabilities Statement Review

Small Business owners often ask about how to best present themselves to VA officials, particularly contracting officers, small business specialists, and prime contractors. VA OSDBUs education and training team consistently advise that there are three key ingredients to making a favorable impression within the government marketplace:
  • Know your potential customer
  • Being prepared to deliver a concise “elevator speech” (a 30-second description of your expertise),
  • Having a solid “Capabilities Statement.”
More on Outreach Services
Please note: Content on this Web page is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide legal advice or to be a comprehensive statement or analysis of application statures, regulations, and case law governing this topic. Rather, it's a plain language summary. If you are seeking claims assistance, your local VA regional office, a VA-recognized Veterans Service Organization, or a VA-accredited attorney or agent can help.