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Q. What is a WBE?
WBE (Women's Business Enterprise) is an independent business concern that is at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more women, whose business formation
and principal place of business are in Canada, and whose management and daily operation is controlled by one or more of the women owners. Owners must be Canadian citizens and/or Landed Immigrants.
Q. What exactly does it mean to be "certified as a WBE"?
Being certified as a WBE means that a business concern has gone through a rigorous and stringent
certification process to confirm the business is owned, managed, and controlled by a woman or women.
Q. Which documents are required as part of the application and certification process?
This depends on whether your business is a sole proprietorship, corporation or partnership. See the
list of documents provided in the application process.
WEConnect Canada may require additional documentation beyond the list depending upon the circumstances of your business.
Q. What is the fee for certification?
The annual fee is currently set at $750, plus GST/HST according to your province of residence and is subject to change. Click here for the list of certification fees by province including HST
Q. Is the fee reimbursed if I am not certified?
No, it is a non-refundable processing fee.
Q. How long does it take to get certified?
Upon receipt of your completed application and fee, you will be contacted to set up a mutually convenient time for the site visit with the owner(s). This time may vary depending on your location and availability of a site assessor.
Q. What happens at the site visit?
The information that you supply in your application is verified during the site visit. Your financial documents are reviewed and a tour of your facilities is undertaken. This is also an opportunity to get to know you and your business and for you to ask any questions you may have
Q. Why do you need all the information that you ask for?
We review the information from you to evaluate your application in order to verify that your business is at minimum 51% owned, managed and controlled by a woman or women. It is critical to our corporate members that our
certification is of the highest standard to comply with supplier diversity criteria.
Q. Who has access to the database? Can WBEs search the database too?
Only WEConnect Canada's corporate members have access to the database. The system will also allow our WBEs to see a very limited version of the WBE database so that you can find each other for business to business opportunities and to find potential strategic partners in order to enhance bidding capacity. While only our corporate members will be able to fully access our database, our WBEs will benefit from any corporation in the world that accepts the WEConnect Canada
certification because of our affiliation with WBENC and WEConnect International.
This list will continue to grow as we grow.
Q. What information should I share within the database?
Like most large corporations, our corporate members will require some detailed information about your company before they will agree to do business with you. Therefore, the more information you are willing to share with them, the easier it will be for them to
certify you as a contract bidder. Many of the corporations will search our database based on certain criteria such as revenues and number of employees in order to determine your ability to respond to the opportunity. Ultimately, you will need to determine how much information you will make available to them in this fashion.
Q. I am a private company and I don't want to share my financial information with WEConnect Canada or others. Why do you ask for this sensitive information?
Financial documents such as the Profit and Loss statement provide evidence that you are conducting business as described in the application. Documents such as the Balance Sheet and notes to the financial statements are used collectively to verify the ownership, management and control by women owners. Please note that the
certification process does not evaluate the company's profitability or financial viability.
Q. How will I know when I am approved?
After the site visit, we will inform you as to acceptance of certification and a certificate will be issued to your business.
Q. How long does my certification last?
The certification is valid for a year. Provided that your company continues to meet WEConnect Canada's criteria, you may renew in years 2 and 3 by updating your information in each of these years. In year 4, a complete documentation review including a site visit will be required. The annual fee payment is required before each annual renewal period is confirmed.
Q. Is certification with WEConnect Canada recognized by Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) in the U.S. and WEConnect UK?
As affiliates of WEConnect International, these bodies have agreed to recognize each other's programs. Each certifying/qualifying body is independent and specific to the country. That said, it is up to the individual corporate members to determine if they will include the foreign contracts in their diversity spend numbers. Thus far, many of our founding members have agreed to do so. In addition to our corporate members, there are many companies that measure diversity spend and are keen to source from
certified women business enterprises which have been approved as such by a certified
body.
Q. What is the benefit of attending WBENC's annual conference in the U.S.?
The primary advantage of attending the WBENC event is meeting hundreds of corporate buyers in one place who have a commitment to sourcing from women's business enterprises.
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