COBID (What It Is And How It Works: All You Need To Know)

Looking for COBID?

Want to get COBID certified in Oregon?

What are the essential elements you should know!

Keep reading as I have gathered exactly the information that you need!

Let’s see what COBID means and why it’s important!

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What Is COBID

COBID is an acronym that stands for “Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity”.

The main purpose of a COBID certification is to allow companies to bid on government contracts awarded by the state of Oregon no matter the size, gender of their employees, ethnicity, or disability.

A startup, a small business, or a company employing individuals with disabilities, women, or minorities can get certified under the COBID program allowing them to better compete on government contracts.

In addition to the benefits a company can get, the government will also benefit as they will be able to award government contracts to companies and businesses that are:

• Minority-owned businesses 
• Women-owned businesses 
• Service-disabled veteran-owned businesses 
• Emerging businesses and startups 

The state of Oregon’s objective is to award contracts to businesses of all sizes in a fair manner regardless of who owns the company or whether the owners have a “disadvantage” of some sort.

In 2016, the Office of Minority, Women and Oregan Emerging Small Business changed its name to become the Certification Office of Business Inclusion and Diversity (also called COBID).

How Does COBID Certification Work

Let’s look at the main elements of a COBID certification and see how it works.

Purpose of COBID Oregan

The purpose of the COBID office is to allow businesses that are minority, women, or service-disabled veteran-owned along with emerging small businesses to have a better chance in bidding and winning government projects and contracts.

Certain government projects must satisfy certain equity, diversity, and inclusion targets and awarding the companies that are certified COBID makes the process much easier and faster.

Types of Certifications

In the state of Oregon, the Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity is the certification authority offering businesses the possibility to apply and get COBID certifications.

When you are certified, your company will have more opportunities or chances to win government contracts.

Here are the different types of certifications offered:

• Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program (ACDBE)
• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program (DBE)
• Minority Business Enterprise Program (MBE)
• Women Business Enterprise Program (WBE)
• Emerging Small Business Program (ESB)
• Service-Disable Veteran-Owned Program (SDV)

COBID Eligibility

To qualify for the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program, Minority Business Enterprise Program, Women Business Enterprise Program, or Service-Disable Veteran-Owned Program, the applicant must:

• Own at least 51% of the company applying for the certification
• Control and manage the daily operations of the company
• Hold the necessary professional license to operate the business 

For a company to be eligible under the Emerging Small Business Program, the company must meet the SBA size standards along with the average gross receipt cap determined over a three-year period. 

COBID Application

You can apply for a COBIC certification by going to the oregon.gov website to apply using the Certification Management System.

Through this online platform, you will be able to complete your certification application process in a convenient manner.

The applications are generally submitted online.

If you do not have access to the Internet or cannot submit your application online, you can call the COBIC certification office at 503-986-0075 to get a hard copy of the application.

Applying for certification in Oregon is free of charge.

What’s more, your certification renewals will also be free of charge.

Minority Meaning

What ethnicities are considered “minority”?

According to the COBID office, here are the ethnicities that are considered minority:

• “Black American includes persons having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa;
• Hispanic American includes persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American or other Spanish or Portuguese culture or origin, regardless of race;
• Native American includes persons who are American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, or Native Hawaiians;
• Asian-Pacific American includes persons whose origin is from Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Samoa, Guam, the United States Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, Macao, Fiji, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru, Federated States of Micronesia, or Hong Kong;
• Subcontinent Asian Americans includes persons whose origins are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives Islands, Nepal, or Sri Lanka;
• Any additional groups whose members are designated as socially disadvantaged by the Small Business Administration and/or as designated under 49 CFR Part 26 (2013 Edition).
• Other minority group membership as established by the applicant. Membership is based on evidence provided by the applicant to support the applicant’s claim he or she is a member of a minority group and the particular minority community recognizes the individual to be a member of the community. It is in COBID’s discretion to determine if the applicant’s claim is valid. If the minority community does not exist in Oregon, the burden of proof shifts to the applicant to prove he or she is a socially and economically disadvantaged individual.”

Also, here is how the state defines a Minority Business Enterprise:

• “‘Minority Business Enterprise’ or ‘MBE’ means a business owned and operated by a minority who meets the eligibility standards set out in OAR 123-200-1210 through 123-200-1240. For the purposes of the certification programs, the rules recognize women as a separate group and not as a ‘minority” group.’”

Benefits of COBID

Here are the main benefits of getting certified for COBID:

• Your company can bid on federal contracts, state contracts, county contracts, or city government projects
• You can work with international and large organizations that have adopted policies to work with small companies that are certified 
• You may be eligible to get a $10,000 direct award by the state or a $50,000 professional services awards 
• Emerging small businesses may be eligible to get a $100,000 direct award through ODOT’s Small Contracting Program Emergency response list

In addition to that, being certified will also allow you to participate in various networking events, use marketing tools made available to you, take courses, and even find mentorship programs.

Business Oregon Contact Information

If you need more information on the COBID certification, you can contact the state of Oregon for more information.

• Telephone: 503-986-0075
• Email: [email protected]
• COBID Login (Certification Management System)
• COBID Directory of certified firms
• Oregon Certification Programs
• Oregon Business Resources

You can also consult the COBID Frequently Asked Questions for more answers to your questions.

COBID Certification Takeaways 

So there you have it folks!

What does COBID mean?

What are the benefits of getting COBID certified?

COBID stands for “Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity”.

The main objective of getting a COBID certification is to allow your company to bid on various federal, state, and local contracts and projects that must meet diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements.

COBID certifications also help emerging small businesses compete in the marketplace and have a better chance to win a government contract.

The federal government, state governments, state agencies, counties, municipalities, and large firms must comply with diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements tend to work with businesses that are certified.

If you are a company that believes it may be eligible to get a COBID certification, you should look into it as it may help your business take advantage of opportunities that you would not have gotten otherwise.

Good luck!

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By the way, on this blog, I focus on topics related to starting a business, business contracts, and investing, making money geared to beginners, entrepreneurs, business owners, or anyone eager to learn. 

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Now, let’s look at a summary of our findings.

COBID Meaning Overview

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