The District of Columbia

The Department of Small and Local Business Development’s (DSLBD’s) Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) Program provides contracting preference for local businesses applying for contract and procurement opportunities with the DC Government. In order to be considered for certification as a CBE, please note that DC Law 20-0108 Section 2331 states that your principal office must be physically located in the District of Columbia and your chief executive officer and the highest level managerial employees must perform their managerial functions in their principal office located in the District. In addition, one of the following must be true: more than 50% of the business assets (excluding bank accounts) are in the District or more than 50% of the business gross receipts are District gross receipts or more than 50% of the employees or owners are residents of the District. All businesses must also be subject to tax and licensed. Nonprofits are not eligible for CBE certification.

To begin the CBE application process, all applicants must successfully complete the CBE Program Webinar. Applicants have 24 hours to complete the webinar once they begin the course. A passing score of 80% is required to receive credit for this webinar. Applicants should allot at least 60 minutes to complete the webinar. Review the system requirements before accessing the webinar. Next, start the mandatory CBE Program Webinar.

After successfully completing the webinar, you can begin the online application process by selecting the Register button below to create a username and password.

If you are a returning applicant enter your username and password below and select Submit.

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