Event Announcement: GovCon Roundup Live, July 15, 1:00pm EDT, Expanding VOSB and SDVOSB Opportunities & Navigating the SBA Certification Minefield

Please join me on the GovCon Roundup Live, with Carroll Bernard and Steven Koprince to discuss several important developments affecting veteran-owned small businesses in federal contracting, including

  • The bipartisan Contract Our Veterans Act of 2026.
  • Critical compliance issue for veteran-owned businesses pursuing VA set-asides: the frequently overlooked limitations on subcontracting certification requirement under VAAR 852.219-75.
  • Why SBA’s strict “unconditional control” rules make certification extremely difficult for franchises
  • Why a veteran must be listed as the company’s highest officer, such as CEO, in the governing documents
  • What “fatal flaws” can undermine an appeal after a certification denial

Here are the details:

  • Wednesday, July 15, 2026
  • 1:00 – 2:30 PM Eastern
  • Free to attend

Here is the link for registration:

https://lnkd.in/gKJVaqBg

Back to Basics: SDVOSB Program Eligibility

Recently, SBA’s VetCert Program announced that it had gotten through its backlog, meaning that the system has returned to normal, so to speak. With this in mind, many new service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) no doubt are looking at getting into the SDVOSB program. Indeed, some of you reading this may be the owners of some of those businesses. Considering that we just looked at an SDVOSB appeal regarding the control requirements for an SDVOSB, today, we’re going to go further and provide a general rundown of the SDVOSB Program to update our past post on this topic.

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Reminder: 2023 SDVOSB Deadline Looming

SmallGovCon has covered the SBA’s assumption of control over certification of Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (“SDVOSB”) and Veteran Owned Small Businesses (“VOSB”) since it was first announced well over a year ago. Now, we are coming close to one of the final deadlines associated with SBA taking over these certification processes. It is hard to believe that it is already the end of the calendar year once again. But time flies when you are having federal contracting fun! With the end of 2023 comes a crucial deadline for certain veteran businesses to keep in mind–the date for self-certification to go away.

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SBA Issues Final Rule on SDVOSB Certification

SBA has issued its final rule for its takeover of the Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Certification program. The rule will have an effective date of January 1, 2023. We discussed the proposed rule in our post here. Below are a few key takeaways from the final version of the rule.

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VA CVE Applications: Average Processing Time is 34 Days

In some circles, the VA CVE application process for SDVOSB/VOSB certification has a reputation as being very cumbersome and time-consuming. But while applying for verification isn’t exactly fun, it doesn’t take an extraordinarily long time for most new applicants to be verified. In fact, according to the VA’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, the average processing time is a mere 34 days.

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SDVOSB Eligibility Update: SBA Issues New Rule

Earlier this week, Steve updated SmallGovCon readers on a very important SDVOSB eligibility change: beginning October 1, the VA will begin using the SBA’s eligibility rules to verify SDVOSBs and VOSBs.

The SBA has now followed suit—in a final rule published today, the SBA has amended its eligibility rules for SDVOSBs. These rules provide important clarity into SDVOSB eligibility going forward.

Let’s take a look at some of the most important changes.

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VA Will Use SBA SDVOSB Eligibility Rules Starting October 1, 2018

The VA will begin using the SBA’s eligibility rules to verify SDVOSBs and VOSBs beginning October 1, 2018.

In a final rule published today in the Federal Register, the VA confirms that the SBA’s eligibility requirements will apply beginning next week–but in my eyes, one very important question remains unanswered.

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