MBE (Minority Business Enterprise)
The MMSDC is one of 23 affiliates of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), a nonprofit corporate membership organization that advances business opportunities for its certified Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Native American business enterprises and connects them to its corporate members. One of the country's leading corporate membership organizations, NMSDC was founded in 1972 to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for minority business enterprises.
SBE (Small Business Enterprise) - SBA 8(A) Certified
The 8(a) Business Development Program is a business assistance program for small disadvantaged businesses. Participants can receive sole-source contracts, up to a ceiling of $4 million for goods and services and $6.5 million for manufacturing. 8(a) firms are also able to form joint ventures and teams to bid on contracts. This enhances the ability of 8(a) firms to perform larger prime contracts and overcome the effects of contract bundling, the combining of two or more contracts together into one large contract. Also, see the Mentor-Protégé Program for more information on allowing starting 8(a) companies to learn the ropes from other experienced 8(a) businesses.
DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise)
The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program is a comprehensive program developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), which establishes guidelines for the participation of firms owned by socially and economically disadvantaged persons in DOT-assisted contracting. Minority groups or persons presumed to be socially and economically disadvantaged, determined by the Small Business Administration, include: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, Native Americans and women.
