Atlanta, GA – Gov. Brian P. Kemp, Rep. Soo Hong (R-GA), and Sen. Mike Hodges (R-GA), joined the Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) Commissioner Rebecca N. Sullivan and staff from DOAS Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) Program and its partner organizations, including the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, on March 18, 2024, to recognize Georgia businesses recently certified through the new Georgia Business Certification Program.

The new certification program launched on Jan. 1, 2024, was established through House Bill (HB) 128 and signed by the governor on April 24, 2023. HB 128 is a direct response to the governor’s executive order issued on July 13, 2022, to address challenges faced by minority, veteran and women owned businesses in the state’s procurement process.

Previously, Georgia law only authorized DOAS to certify minority-owned businesses certified through the federal disadvantaged business enterprise program. DOAS now has certification authority expanding from a single business certification type to six business certification types:

• Small Minority-Owned
• Small Veteran-Owned
• Small Women-Owned
• Minority-Owned
• Veteran-Owned
• Women-Owned

To apply to the Georgia Business Certification Program, Georgia businesses must first be certified and approved by one of DOAS’ six certifying partner organizations which include the Georgia Department of Transportation, Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, Greater Women’s Business Council, National Veteran-Owned Business Association, U.S. Small Business Administration, and U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce. This certification and approval confirm that business applicants are domiciled in the state of Georgia and meet the certifying partner criteria.

“I am thrilled that the state of Georgia is now offering certification to minority, women, and veteran owned businesses. Having a streamlined certification process allows businesses to get certified without having to go through another process from scratch. The governmental and non-profit organizations that have been selected as certifying partners are credible with a track record of issuing certifications to businesses,” said Mrs. Julian Bailey, manager for the SBSD and Georgia Business Certification Program.

To commemorate the program’s successful launch, 12 businesses voluntarily participated in the day of recognition with the governor including, SA Public Health Solutions, LLC, A la Carte Investments, LLC, Innovative Marketing & Design, inLingo LLC, Leading Excellence Accelerating People, Inc., TWC Global Solutions, S5 CONSULT INC., Well Done Technologies, Dr. Turanza W. Jackson Consulting LLC, SIMPLEnetworking LLC, and MMIMS Co. To date, the Georgia Business Certification Program has issued 86 certifications.

The Georgia DOAS SBSD program also established more than 70 small business liaisons at state agency, college, and university throughout the state in March 2023. Small Business Liaisons were established to facilitate communication and partnership with small businesses within their local communities.

“I have been able to participate in several DOAS-hosted events, such as the Small Business Symposium, where I answered questions regarding how to do business with the State of Georgia, spoke about upcoming bid opportunities, and provided insight on key resources available to small businesses. I have also partnered with the University of West Georgia and Georgia Tech with their first APEX Outreach engagement with small business suppliers,” said Mr. Osborne Johnson, DOAS agency sourcing manager and small business liaison.

The next steps include sharing information about the new Georgia Business Certification Program with Georgia businesses. "We are so excited to share information about our new Georgia Business Certification Program so that more Georgia businesses can participate. We will be conducting training sessions and workshops across the state, highlighting our simple application certification process,” said Mrs. Mary Chapman, DOAS State Purchasing Division deputy division director.

Newly certified businesses are optimistic about the future of the three-month-old program. “I think small businesses are the heart of every economy,” said Alessandra Campana, founder, and owner of inLingo, specializing in remote language services. “I’ve only been certified for a few weeks, but I’m always looking into what the department is doing and I looking forward to expanding my business services in Georgia and continuing to make my late grandmother proud.”

To learn more about DOAS SBSD and the new Georgia Business Certification Program, visit website.