How are Suppliers Classified?

The following in depth list of definitions is provided to help you understand your suppliers better. 

Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) 

A for-profit enterprise, regardless of size, physically located in the United States that is at least is 51 percent owned by minority group members or, in the case of a publicly-owned business, at least 51 percent of the stock is owned by minority group members.

Minority groups include:

• Black/African Americans
• Hispanic Americans
• Native Americans
• Alaska Native Corporations
• Indian Tribes
• Native Hawaiian Organizations
• Asian Pacific Americans
• Subcontinent Asian Americans

Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) 

A for-profit enterprise, regardless of size, physically located in the United States that is at least 51 percent owned by one or more women or, in the case of a publicly-owned business, at least 51 percent of the stock is owned by one or more women.

Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE) 

A for-profit enterprise, regardless of size, physically located in the United States that is either a Veteran -Owned Business or a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses or a veteran-owned business, each defined as follows:

• Veteran-Owned Business (VOB)– A business that is at least 51 percent owned by one or more veterans (as defined in 38 United States Code 101(2)) or, in the case of a publicly owned-business, at least 51 percent of the stock is owned by one or more veterans.
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOB)– A Veteran-Owned Business the management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service- disabled veterans who have a service connected disability that has been determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or Department of Defense.

Disability-owned business (DOBE) 

A for-profit enterprise, regardless of size, physically located in the United States, at least is 51 percent owned by one or more disabled individuals or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more disabled individuals.

Small Business 

A for-profit enterprise physically located in the United States that has self-certified as meeting the federal small business requirements as defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) small business size standards.

HUBZone Small Business 

A Small Business located in distressed areas, designated as a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone), which appears on the list of Qualified HUBZone Small Business Concerns maintained by the SBA. 

LGBTQ-owned Business Enterprise 

A for-profit enterprise, regardless of size, physically located in the United States, at least is 51 percent owned by LGBTQ group members or, in the case of a publicly-owned business, at least 51 percent of the stock is owned by LGBTQ group members.