About Us 
Welcome
We are the state agency dedicated to enhancing the participation of our small, women- and minority-owned businesses in Virginia’s procurement process. DMBE administers two certification programs: the Small, Women- and Minority-owned Businesses under Virginia’s “SWaM” Procurement Initiative, and the federal U.S. Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (“DBE”) Program. DMBE also provides management and technical support to our certified businesses through one-on-one business development and procurement advocacy.
Top Three Questions from SWaM Certification Applicants
- What is the status of my application?
- How long does it take to get certified?
- How do I apply for re-certification ?
Answers:
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Information about the status of your application, the date of your application, all documents that were received or missing, and any other necessary information being requested can be viewed by entering a certification tracking number or a portion of the company’s name at this page: Click HERE.
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Once the signed application form and the completed supporting documents are received by our office, it takes approximately 30 business days for the assigned certification officer to review your file. You can view your application status by following the steps in Answer #1 above.
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Re-certification Application Steps:
- Apply online for the SWaM certification.
- Click “Yes” to the first question and then “submit”. You are then in the online application for re-certification.
- Follow the instructions to complete the application form.
- Print, sign and date the complete application form. If your contact information, NIGP codes, marketing area, etc. have changed, please cross off the old information and write in the current information.
- Mail in the form with the required supporting documents.
- Now click HERE for the SWaM application.
Important Information
- Update Your Email Address or Contact Information Today! It is very important to keep your contact information—especially your email address—up to date because state buyers may be trying to contact you. You don’t want to miss a business opportunity because of an invalid email address or telephone number. Submit your changes to the DMBE Customer Care Specialist electronically at dmbe@dmbe.virginia.gov or call 804.786.6585.
- Check Procurement and Business Opportunities with state agencies, local governments, and others. Click HERE.
SWaM Certification
Important Notice
If you are a non-Virginia based business from one of the following states/district, you are not eligible for participation in the Virginia Small, Women- and Minority-owned Business Program: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. (Click here)Certification as a Small, Women- or Minority-owned Business is free! The steps towards becoming SWaM-certified are:
1: Complete the on-line application;
2: Sign and date the printed application;
3: Mail the application AND proof of the business owner's identification to DMBE; and
4: Submit the required supporting documents.
Avoid delays by submitting all of the required supporting documents. If you are unable to obtain all of your documents initially, you may submit the signed application and proof of the business owner’s identification and receive a temporary, 30-day certification. Failure to submit the outstanding documents will result in the expiration of your certification.