Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions about getting certified.
No. Nonprofits can be vendors to the city of New York, but they cannot be m/wbe certified.
That depends on what you mean by started. if you’ve been selling your goods or services for a year you are eligible for certification even if you just formally registered your entity a few months ago. Time doing business is the relevant issue.
The agencies are looking for majority ownership operation and control by eligible individuals.
To qualify for WBE certification, a woman or multiple women must have majority ownership operation and control of the firm as reflected in its stock certificates, bylaws, contracts and bank accounts.
To qualify for MBE certification eligibility is determined by ethnicity so the answer to the question would depend on ethnicity of the husband-and-wife co-owners.
Under the law, it’s the responsibility of the government agencies to focus on certifying vendors that are eligible to apply and not certifying any businesses that don’t qualify.