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The Application & Certification Process

Criteria for Certification:

  • A company must be at least 51% owned and controlled by a woman or group of women.
  • WBENC uses the applicant’s legal and financial documentation to determine if the applying company is 51% owned and controlled by a woman or group of women.
    Click here for a copy of the Standards and Procedures used to determine certification.

Application Process Steps:

  • Gather the required documentation. Click here for a list required attachments
  • Register to complete and submit the online application. Click here for a hard copy of the application. Please note: The application is good for 90 days only, you must submit to keep it active in the system.

    • The system is best used with a PC, Internet Explorer and pop-up blockers turned off. If you are a Mac user and do not have access to a PC, please contact support@wbenc.org for an alternative application process.
    • When you submit, please print the summary view and sworn affidavit before exiting.
    • Upon submitting the application online, the owner and contact will receive an email instructing them where to mail their application packet and the contact information for their program manager.
  • Mail the required documents, the summary view of your application, sworn affidavit and application fee to your assigned program manager. The documents must be received within 90 days from submitting the online application or the application will be deleted and purged from the system and need to be re-entered by the applicant. To ensure this does not happen, please gather your documents prior to doing the online application.

Certification Process Steps:

  • Program Manager receives the application packet.
  • If complete, the owner and contact person listed on the online application will receive an email telling them the file is complete. From the date of the email, it will take 90 days to process the application.

    • Note: emails during the process are auto emails. Please check your junk mail as your firewall may prevent them from being received by the in box.
    • If the file is missing documents, the owner and contact will receive an email requesting additional information.
  • Certification Committee reviews application file
  • Site Visit is arranged with the owner
  • Final Determination by Certification Committee

    • For information regarding the processing of your application, it will be your program manager that you will need to contact. The support desk will not know specifics.
    • If certification is granted, the owner and contact on file will receive an email telling them the company has been granted certification.
    • If certification is denied, the owner will receive a certified letter.

      • If denied, the owner may send a written letter to request a Local Appeal.
      • If denied at the local level, the owner may request a National Appeal.

Please note that when you click the link below to begin the online application, that you are leaving www.wbenc.org and going to our password secured; proprietary database, www.wbenclink.org. Should you need to save your application and wish to return to it, make sure you return to www.wbenclink.org and use the gray box at the top right to log in.

As you register, the system will assign your complete email as your user id/name and you will be asked to create your password. Please write both down as you will need them to access your profile going forward.

Click here to go to www.wbenclink.org to begin the online application

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