Certification is the process by which the EDDC staff determines a firm to be a bonafide small, minority-, women-owned, or emerging small business enterprise pursuant to Policy 3330.

An applicant firm must meet the following requirements:

1. A for-profit entity
2. Independently owned and operated by a citizen or legal resident of the United States or its territories
3. Has Significant Business Presence

• Headquartered or have an established business place in the Tri-County region of Broward, Miami-Dade, or Palm Beach County for at least one year
• At least 50% of employees the company's employees are domiciled in the Tri-County region

Average annual receipts or average employment does not exceed 50% of the SBA Size Standard Requirement for each respective industry

Policy 3330 Significant Business Presence (SBP) requirement means a business is headquartered or have a significant business presence for at least one year within the relevant marketplace, defined as an established place of business in one or more of the three counties that make up the Southern Florida relevant marketplace, from which at least fifty percent (50%) of its full-time, part-time, and contract employees are domiciled and regularly based, and from which a substantial role in the SMWBEs performance of a commercially useful function is conducted. A location utilized solely as a post office box, mail drop, or telephone message center, or any combination thereof, with no other substantial work function, shall not be construed to constitute a significant business presence.

First-time applicants with BCPS or firms that have let the certification lapse for more than 30 days past their expiration date must complete the new application. If your business holds a current SBE, MBE, and or WBE certification issued by our reciprocal partners, please complete the reciprocal certification.

1. Applicants complete and submit the New Certification Application (select "Certification" for question 2.2.3.) and upload all requested documents
2. Application is received by Broward County Public Schools Procurement & Warehousing Services Operations & Compliance team. Section 1: Vendor Registration is reviewed, approved, and issued a Vendor SAP ID.
3. Application is forwarded to the EDDC and assigned to the certification staff
4. Staff reviews the application for completeness and ensures all required documents are received and within the BCPS standards. Staff will contact the applicant directly for outstanding items or if additional information is required.
5. Application is approved when all requirements are met
6. Approval letter and certificate are emailed to the approved firm

Note: All applications left in the draft for 30 days will be automatically removed from the process.

The reciprocal certification is a fast-track process that requires less documentation. EDDC honors the certificate issued by our partner agencies, and the documents requested are used to confirm that firms meet the certification criteria to participate in our small business program.

Firms that hold a current SBE, MBE, and/or WBE certification issued by any of the partner agencies below:

• Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach County Government
• Miami-Dade County Public Schools or The School District of Palm Beach County

No. Recertification is not automatic. The contact person is sent courtesy reminders 90, 60, and 30 days before the company's certification expiration date. The reminder email is sent via BCPS Blackboard and Mailchimp. EDDC does not guarantee receipt of the reminder email and recommends that the firm marks its calendar as a reminder to begin the process at least 60 days before its expiration date.

Question 2.2.3 of the supplier profile questionnaire in Ariba provides a drop-down menu that lists the certification application types. Select "Recertification."