The Missouri Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) administers the state's minority business enterprise (MBE) and women business enterprise (WBE) certification program.
When a company becomes certified, state procurement officials and private contractors bidding on government-funded projects can find them in the OEO's Directory of Certified M/WBE Vendors. In fact, all state agencies are required by Missouri law to make an effort to award 10 percent of all contract awards to MBEs and 5 percent to WBEs.
Certification is free, and it takes the OEO 90 to 120 days to process the application.
Does this local/state program offer reciprocal certifications with other local/state programs? No. Any business must go through the OEO to gain one of the certifications it provides.
Does this certification expire? Annual update affadavits must be provided to stay current. In addition, a reminder email will be sent before expiry of certification, allowing time to send provided recertification forms.
Does this program require bidders attempt to make a good-faith effort to meet participation goals? While goals for state agencies for awarding contracts to MBEs and WBEs have been established, the onus has been placed on the agencies to meet these goals.
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