MBE Certification

NMSDC’s New Certification – Migration in Progress:   What You Need to Know

NMSDC is excited to announce the roll out of our new and improved certification process to your region. As part of this move, NMSDC will fully transition all MBE certification into a new certification database, The NMSDC Hub.  

The new system comes with several improvements including: 

• Easier navigation and progress tracking.
• Improved and consistent processing times.
• Enhanced support from dedicated certification specialists at the national office.  
• Added ability to update your profile any time using self-service features. 

Effective today, all certification systems will be offline for 19 days (August 27 – September 15). During this transition, you will not be able to access the database for certification purposes. 

At the end of this data freeze period, we will send you login credentials for the new database. Please keep an eye out for an email from no-reply@nmsdc.org with your new login details and instructions for accessing the database.

Note: The credentials to access The NMSDC Hub will give you access to both the MBE Search Database, where you can find other MBEs to work with, and the new Certification Module. You will only need one ID to access both systems.

If you have started a New Certification Application in the last six months or updated a New Certification Application in the last six months, your application and all associated documents will be migrated to the new system.

If you started a Recertification Application but have not paid the fee and submitted it yet, you will need to restart that application in the NMSDC Hub. Recertification Applications that are submitted before August 27th will be migrated to the new system for the NMSDC Certification team to review.  

You can visit https://nmsdc.org/certifications/certification-process/ for more information on the new certification process and what it means for your business.

We are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible and will be providing additional updates about the new certification process in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact our certification team at certification@nmsdc.org.  

CERTIFY

NMSDC is the only national minority business development organization providing certification throughout the U.S. where Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) are owned and operated by minorities ready to do business. NMSDC is nationally recognized for providing the “Gold Standard” certification for MBEs.

Certification with the Southwest Minority Supplier Development Council (SMSDC) provides minority owned businesses in Southwest Texas, El Paso, San Antonio, Harlingen, Laredo, Midland/Odessa, and the states of New Mexico and Oklahoma with many benefits such as:

• Marketing and networking events
• Educational workshops conducted by national experts
• Regional Task Force Meetings
• NMSDC’s MBE Database
• Corporate Supplier Diversity Portal Registration
• Business Opportunity Fairs and much more.

Certified MBE status provides our corporate members with the highest level of assurance our minority businesses are 51% ethnic minority owned and operated by an individual(s) meeting U.S. citizenship requirements and are a for-profit enterprise.

Certification Fees for both New MBE Certifications and Re-Certifications:
MBE’s Classifications are defined by their annual sales:

Class 1: Sales under $1M; $300

Class 2: Sales $1M – $10M; $400

Class 3: Sales $10M – $50M; $650

Class 4: Sales over $50M; $800

*** Expedited applications or late re-certifications will require additional fees. ***
*** Application fees are non-refundable. ***

Large Enterprises:
Large Enterprises over $101M will be charged additional fees which would apply to both NEW/Recertifications.

MBE Pre/Post-Certification Workshop:
It is strongly recommended to attend the MBE Pre-Certification Workshop, that is held Wednesdays from 10:00am to 12:00pm CST.

Applicants can now schedule an appointment for one-on-one call specific to your company.

During the workshop, the certification application is reviewed in detail, along with the requirements, procedures, timeframe, and benefits of being certified.

We can also discuss:

• Criteria for Certification
• Review of the application process
• Answer most common application questions

Those who have successfully completed their application learned by participating in the Pre-Certification Workshop, the application process is faster.

If you have any questions on MBE Certification or to schedule your appointment email: alana@smsdc.org

Renew your certification
Certified MBEs are required to re-certify annually in order to maintain certified status and remain listed in both local and national minority business databases.

• Submit and upload the most recent Federal Tax Returns and Declaration of Minority Status with the updated application.
• Pay the non-refundable application fee.
• Completion of renewal is done within 30 days.
• Expedited applications or late re-certifications will require additional fees.

ALL CLAIMS OR DISPUTES ARISING OUT OF THE MBE CERTIFICATION PROCESS, WHETHER THE INITIAL DENIAL OR AFTER AN APPEAL, BETWEEN YOU AND SMSDC WILL BE RESOLVED THROUGH BINDING ARBITRATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FEDERAL ARBITRATION ACT (FAA), TITLE 9 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE, AND ARBITRATION RULES.  YOU AGREE ,UNDERSTAND  AND CHOOSE BINDING ARBITRATION INSTEAD OF LITIGATION TO RESOLVE ALL CLAIMS. BY PROCEEDING WITH THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS, NEITHER YOU NOR SMSDC WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO LITIGATE A CLAIM IN COURT WITH RESPECT TO THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS.