Apply for Recognition as a Third-Party Certified Business

The SDO fully recognizes certifications issued by a small number of third-party certifying organizations.

If your company is not certified by one of the organizations listed below, the SDO will not provide this full recognition option, and you must apply for certification either as a Massachusetts-based business or an out-of-state business.

Certification status and dates: The ongoing certification status resulting from such recognition is contingent on the applicant’s standing with the original certifying organization. The Massachusetts certification start date will be the date the SDO completes the review and issues an approval of the application. The Massachusetts certification expires on the same date as the original certification issued by the third-party organization.

Certification reciprocity with the City of Boston: In addition to the SDO recognizing MBE and WBE certifications issued by the City of Boston, the city also will recognize MBE and WBE certifications issued by the SDO.

Use the below links to access information about our Third-Party Certification Organizations.

• The Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council (GNEMSDC)
  • GNEMSDC Contact: Ramona Davis, Director of MBE Services,  rdavis@gnemsdc.org
• The Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE) (New England WBENC)
  • CWE-WBENC Contact: Melinda Leon, Manager-Special Projects & WBENC, New England, certification@cweonline.org.
• The City of Boston
  • City of Boston Contact: Stacey Williams, Deputy Director of Operations, Certification Manager,  stacey.williams@boston.gov
• NGLCC - National LGBT Chamber of Commerce
  • National LGBT Chamber of Commerce® (NGLCC)- Contact:  Sean Franklin
    Vice President, supplierdiversity@nglcc.org
• Disability:IN (formerly The US Business Leadership Network-USBLN)
  • Disability:IN: Contact: Cami Turcotte, Manager of Certification and Supplier Engagement, Cami@disabilityin.org
• VetBiz/U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs