Is It For Me?

There are many benefits to being certified but not all businesses are candidates. If you would like to see if your company would benefit from certification, please take this short self-assessment quiz.

Q. Does your business have the capacity to provide quality service and/or products on large contracts?
Corporate and public sector contracts tend to be larger than contracts many small businesses are accustomed to fulfilling. Your business must be prepared to demonstrate the ability to deliver on these larger contracts. This may require creating strategic alliances in order to fulfill such contracts.

Q. Are you willing to share the details of your business including financial records, tax returns and company structure?
The certification process entails the analysis of a number of documents in order to determine the eligibility of your business. NOTE: All information and documents submitted by your business are kept completely confidential and you decide what information is to be shared with the member corporations.

Q. Are you clear that WBE certification is a marketing tool, and does not entitle your company to corporate contracts?
If your business becomes certified, you will need to invest time and energy into developing a marketing campaign that targets corporations and government agencies that need your product or service. Certification as a WBE is primarily about increasing your access to contract opportunities. Once certified as a WBE, WEConnect Canada will facilitate opportunities for you to meet with procurement officers from our member corporations; place your business details on our membership database which is searched by our corporate members as they seek new suppliers to work with; and facilitate opportunities for you to meet with other WBEs who are registered with us. While you must still be competitive in price, quality and delivery, WBE certification will differentiate your business and ensure access to contract bidding opportunities that until now have been difficult to identify.

If you answered yes to the above questions, your business may be a good candidate for certification.

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