Applying for Certification
To become MBE certified, businesses follow these 4 steps:
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Register your business on wisdp.wi.gov
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Log into the Wisconsin Supplier Diversity Portal and complete the MBE Certification Application
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Upload required documents from the MBE Checklist
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Verify and Submit the MBE Certification Application
After you click submit, Supplier Diversity Program staff will review your application within 30 days. If there are questions or additional documents needed, staff will email your Primary Contact person.
JOINT VENTURES
If your business is a Joint Venture, please see the JV Guidelines document below:
JV Guidelines
TRUSTS
If any portion of your 51% majority ownership is in trust, please complete the Trust Information Form below:
SDP Trust Info Form
MBE Checklist
Printable version:
MBE Checklist.pdf
There is no fee for MBE Certification.
Must be documented by one or more of the following, for each minority owner:
- Birth certificate
- Native American Tribal Registration
- Naturalization or Permanent Residence Certificate
- Birth Certificate of blood parent or grandparent
- Other evidence of minority status (if none of the above are available):
- Driver's License, Passport, or State-Issued ID
- Other records which document ethnicity or racial heritage
Minimum documentation required:
- 3 years of Federal Business Tax Forms: Upload signiture page of Form 8879 AND the tax schedules/forms listed below:
- Sole Proprietorship: 1040/1040A: Schedule C and Schedule E (if available)
- Corporation: 1120: Schedule G and Form 1125E (if available)
- S Corporation: 1120S: Schedule K-1, Schedule B-1, and Form 1125 (if available)
- Buy-Out or Purchase Agreement(s), if applicable
- Corporate By-Laws, if applicable
- Partnership Agreement, if applicable
- Financial Agreements
- Stock Certificates or Stock Affirmation Forms, if applicable
Additional documentation may be requested:
- Articles of Incorporation/Organization, if applicable (corporations, LLCs)
- Salary and Profit-Sharing Records
- Corporate-Borrowing Resolution (corporations)
- Canceled check(s) used to purchase ownership (sole proprietorships)
- Current Business Financial Statements (Profit & Loss or Balance Sheet)
- Business Licenses
- Minutes of Corporate Meetings
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Joint Venture Agreement (Must be signed by all of the joint venturers and must include the information provided in Wis. Admin. Code
provided in Wis. Admin. Code § Adm 83.25(e)1.-2.)
Documents required if they exist:
- Documation of control of bank accounts with owner and business name (Ex: Signature card, business debit/credit card, bank statement)
- All Business Agreements are required
- Operating Agreements
- Signed bids and contracts
- Signed loans
- Signed hiring decisions
- Resumes
Documents required if they exist:
- Signed invoices, contracts, and purchase orders sent to your customers (at least three), required
- Managing authority (organizational chart)
- Business equipment inventory/list
- Leases
- Employee contracts
- Loans
- Payroll records
- Home State MBE/DBE Certification (letter of certification or most recent certificate). Please contact Supplier Diversity if not certified in home state.
- Business registration in Wisconsin - see dfi.wi.gov
Upload completed document checklist into your business account on wisdp.wi.gov (optional).
Please email SupplierDiversity@wi.gov to discuss missing documents.
Training Videos
If you are lost at any point, please watch our training videos below or contact our team at SupplierDiversity@wi.gov.
If you are an out of state business, watch our video about extra requirements:
After Certification:
SDP staff will review
your application within 30 days. When approved, SDP staff will email an Approval Letter and MBE Certificate to
your business' Primary Contact.
Once certified,
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Certified MBEs can take advantage of the
Permissive 5% Bid Preference when bidding on state contracts and proposals.
Check out our content on bidding opportunities and newly certified businesses in the "Newly Certified" tab of our website!
Logo Usage
You are also free to use our Logo after your business is certified! See the MBE Style Guide to find State of Wisconsin guidelines on how to use these trademarked images.
Links for Logo:
Keeping
Your Certification Active:
To keep your certification active, you'll need to complete an
Annual Update every year and
Recertify after three years. Visit the Annual Update and Recertification tabs above to see more information about what each of these mean!