Government Contracts for Minority-Owned Businesses

How to win government contracts as a minority-owned business

1. 1

   Confirm you're a small business and find your NAICS

   Both paths start with being a small business under the SBA size standard for your work. Pin down your NAICS code and size standard first.

   Find your NAICS code →
2. 2

   Choose your path: 8(a) or MBE

   For federal set-asides and sole-source awards, check your 8(a) eligibility. For state, local, and corporate supplier-diversity work, get MBE certified through the NMSDC or your state.

   Check your 8(a) eligibility →
3. 3

   Find and bid the right opportunities

   See live federal and Texas bids — each with a plain-English workup (scope, deadlines, bonding, set-aside) so you can decide whether to bid without reading a 200-page RFP.

   Browse live bids →

Common questions

Is there a federal 'minority-owned' set-aside?

Not by that name. At the federal level the main vehicle for minority-owned firms is the SBA 8(a) Business Development program, which offers set-aside and sole-source contracts to socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses. 'MBE' certification is used for state, local, and corporate supplier-diversity programs.

What's the difference between 8(a) and MBE?

8(a) is a federal SBA program with strict ownership, net-worth, and disadvantage requirements and a nine-year term. MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) is certified through the NMSDC or your state and is used by corporations and state and local governments — it carries no federal contracting authority on its own. Many firms hold both.

Do I have to be certified?

For 8(a) federal set-asides, yes — you certify with the SBA. For state, local, and corporate MBE work, you certify through the NMSDC or your state's program. Simply identifying as minority-owned is not enough to win reserved contracts.

Where do I find these contracts?

Federal 8(a) opportunities post on SAM.gov; state, local, and corporate ones are scattered across many portals. BidGovContracts pulls federal and Texas bids into one feed, flags the set-asides, and summarizes each in plain English.