Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)

About the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)

The SDVOSB program reserves federal contracting opportunities for small businesses unconditionally owned and controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans. Federal agencies reserve a contracting goal of at least 3% of prime-contract dollars for SDVOSB firms, and the VA specifically runs a much larger dedicated SDVOSB set-aside program (VOSB and SDVOSB) that restricts competition to verified firms. Common SDVOSB RFPs cover IT services, facilities operations, security services, medical equipment, professional services, and construction across the Department of Defense, VA medical centers, GSA, and large civilian agencies honoring the government-wide goal. Evaluation panels pay close attention to veteran-status documentation, ownership percentages, and a verifiable operational role for the service-disabled veteran owner in day-to-day firm management. BidAuthority helps SDVOSB firms generate compliant proposal drafts that address veteran-ownership verification, hard-dollar past performance, and the agency-specific SDVOSB evaluation factors.

Who Qualifies for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)

A firm qualifies as an SDVOSB when it meets the SBA small-business size standard for its primary NAICS code, is at least 51% unconditionally owned and controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans, and the service-disabled veteran owner(s) make the long-term decisions that materially affect the business. "Service-disabled" means a veteran with a disability rating of 0% or more from the Department of Veterans Affairs, attributable to injury or disease incurred in military service. The veteran owner’s management role must be active and unconditional — limited, contingent, or passive ownership does not qualify the firm under the program. SDVOSB firms must be verified through the VA’s Vendor Information Pages (VIP) database for VA set-aside awards and through SBA’s Certify system for government-wide SDVOSB set-asides.

How to Get Certified

Begin by registering in SAM.gov and confirming that the NAICS code size standard applies to your firm. For VA set-aside awards, apply through the VA’s VIP database at vip.vetbiz.gov, providing DD-214 or equivalent discharge documentation, a VA disability rating letter, and proof of 51%+ unconditional ownership and control. For government-wide SDVOSB set-asides, register in SBA’s Certify database at certify.sba.gov, mirroring the same ownership and veteran-status documentation. Verification typically completes in 30–60 days; renewal is annual and any ownership or control change must be re-verified before the next award.

There are currently 0 active SDVOSB set-aside federal opportunities on SAM.gov. Use the list below to find a fit for your firm, then generate a fully compliant proposal draft in under 10 minutes with BidAuthority.