The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, commonly referred to as WBENC, is the leading authority on and certifying organization for women’s business enterprises (WBEs) in the U.S. and U.S. territories. One of the most widely recognized and accepted certifications in the nation; WBENC’s certification is accepted by hundreds of U.S. corporations, as well as select federal, state and local government agencies. WBENC is headquartered in Washington, DC with 14 Regional Partner Organizations (RPOs) throughout the U.S., including Women’s Business Enterprise Council – Pacific (WBEC-Pacific). Each RPO processes certification applications on behalf of WBENC and adheres to WBENC’s stringent Standards and Procedures to maintain the integrity of WBENC’s Certification Program.
The recertification process is much simpler, and all the initial documents are not required. However, WBENC requests updated financial information, board meeting minutes, if applicable, and any supporting documents to support changes that may have occurred in either ownership or management of the business.
No. Recertification is not automatic. The owner is sent a courtesy reminder 120 days prior to the expiration date of the company’s certification. However, WBENC does not guarantee receipt of the reminder e-mail and recommends the WBE marks its calendar as a reminder to begin the process 120 days prior to its expiration date.
Register as a new user. The system purges all files that have exceeded their expiration date by 92 days, a recertification application, and/or supporting documents have not been submitted. If you experience difficulty, please contact support@wbenc.org.
No, the certification is valid for a period of one year. It is not a rolling 12 months.
The WBEC-Pacific’s non-refundable processing fees for WBENC and WOSB certification are based on previous year’s gross revenues as indicated below. NOTE: After a company has been WBENC-certified, it may pursue, at no extra cost, the WOSB certification. WOSB certification only is available to US citizens.
Up to $999 Thousand: $350
$1 Million up to $4.99 Million: $500
$5 Million up to $9.99 Million: $750
$10 Million up to $49.99 Million: $1,000
$50 Million or more: $1,250
Please make your check payable to Women’s Business Enterprise Council Pacific. Fees are non-refundable regardless of the final determination of your application.
No. After an application has been received, the fee is non-refundable. The “non-refundable policy” applies to applications that are accepted and/or denied, as well as applications that were not completed or withdrawn prior to final determination.
Contact our Certification Specialist at 425-315-5999 or via email.
After you submit your application, it is assigned to a WBEC Pacific Staff person and an automated e-mail notification is sent to this person as well with information about your application submission.
The owner and the person listed as the Company contact will receive automated e-mails informing them when each step of the process has been completed.
If additional information is needed, please contact our Certification Specialist by email or by calling (503) 941-9724.
Go onto WBENCLink.org and login to your profile. Then select WBE from the menu box at the left. In the sub-menus, select from high resolution “HR” or low resolution “LR” certificate versions. The HR certificate works best for printed copies, and the LR certificate works best for uploading to corporate vendor registration sites and for e-mail purposes. NOTE: A company must have a current status of Certified in order to print a certificate.
No, certification is not transferable. Certification is granted solely to the owner that applies for and successfully completes the full certification process.
A Women’s Business Enterprise, commonly referred to as a WBE, is an independent business concern that is at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens or Legal Resident Aliens; whose business formation and principal place of business are in the U.S. or its territories; and whose management and daily operation is controlled by a woman with industry expertise. NOTE: A WBE is the business, not the individual.
The WBENC certification for women-owned businesses is one of the most widely recognized and respected certifications in the nation. Accepted by hundreds of corporations within the country and a number of federal, state, and local government agencies, WBENC certification is an important marketing tool for expanding a company’s visibility among decision makers in corporate supply chain diversity and procurement organizations. WBENC is also an approved Third Party Certifier for the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting Program.
If you believe WBENC Certification is right for your business, WBEC-Pacific encourages you to take full advantage of the programs, services, and events that have been designed to give your company access to business opportunities.
The biggest difference is WBENC is a national certification and the state certification is only good within that state. So regardless where you get WBENC-certified, it is good in every state nationwide plus the US Territories such as Puerto Rico, Micronesia and Guam. Another plus is the nationwide database network of over 12,000 WBEs and hundreds of corporations such as The Boeing Company, Microsoft, Apple, Chevron, Exxon Mobil . Finally, WBENC certification is the most widely recognized and accepted certification by hundreds of U.S. corporations, as well as select federal, state and local government agencies.
A WBENC-certified WBE is a business concern that has gone through a rigorous and stringent certification process to confirm the business is owned, managed, and controlled by a woman or women. WBENC certified WBEs use their certification credentials to gain access to WBENC Corporate Members, as well as a number of federal, state, and local government agencies. In addition, WBENC certified WBEs also gain access to over 12,000 other WBENC-certified WBEs in order to purchase products or services and partner on joint venture opportunities. NOTE: The business is certified, not the individual.
The certification lasts for one year from the date of issue. WBEs that wish to remain certified must recertify each year. However, WBEs are encouraged to begin the recertification process 90 days prior to the expiration date.