The City of Austin's Small & Minority Business Resources Department certifies qualified firms as Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (MBE), Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE), and Small Business Enterprises (SBE).
The Certification Division verifies that the minority and/or woman business applicant owns, manages, and controls the day-to-day operations of the for-profit business in compliance with the MBE/WBE Procurement Program Ordinance, Chapter(s) 2-9 (A)(B)(C) and (D) of the City Code.
In general, the eligibility requirements are:
- At least 51% of the company must be owned, managed, and controlled by a socially and economically disadvantaged individual from one of the presumed groups i.e. Asian-American, African-American, Native American, Hispanic or Women
- A small business as defined by the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Size Standard Guidelines
- Personal Net Worth (PNW) must not exceed $1,565,000 for MBE/WBE certification or $1,320,000 for DBE/ACDBE certification
- MBE/WBE applicant must have a facility located within the State of Texas for at least 90 days
- Must be a for-profit business
New Registration - Before You Begin
- Register your company as a vendor on Austin Finance Online. If you have questions or need password assistance, call (512) 974-2018 or email vendorreg@austintexas.gov
- Upload, fax or email the current version of your company's W-9 form to finalize your registration
- Keep a copy of your Vendor Registration Number. You will need it for the Certification process.
Get Certified - Apply Online
Apply HERE (https://austintexas.mwdbe.com) for Certification.
Getting Started Guide for new firms (not yet certified) - click here to download copy.
Certification & Compliance Getting Started Guide (for certified firms) - click here to download copy.
If you have any questions about Certification, please call (512) 974-7645 or email SMBRCertification@austintexas.gov