(Washington, DC) —  Along with other major reforms that are overhauling the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD), beginning August 1, 2008 the department will no longer accept paper applications for its Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) program, which gives local businesses preference to compete in contract and procurement opportunities in the District. Applicants can seek certification in the following six classifications: local business enterprise, small business enterprise, disadvantaged business enterprise, resident-owned business, longtime resident business, and local business enterprise with principal offices located in an enterprise zone.

Local businesses that wish to become certified or re-certified with DSLBD will now have to apply online via the CBE Business Center at dslbd.dc.gov. Those without access to personal computers are encouraged to use computers at the city’s public libraries or at the department’s Enhanced Business Information Center (e-BIC), located within Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on 901 G Street, NW.

Also, besides applying online, representatives from previously uncertified businesses are now required to attend a pre-certification orientation session at the e-BIC. The bi-weekly orientations provide detailed instructions on how to complete CBE applications and thus eliminate the potential for error, which will allow DSLBD to process the application more efficiently and thus make a determination regarding certification status within 45 business days. (Please note, however, that the department will not accept incomplete applications.)

The modifications to the CBE certification process are part of a transformation initiated in 2006 when DSLBD revamped its organizational structure to accommodate a broader mission of local business support—a change which has come to fruition under the Fenty Administration.

Register for pre-certification orientations by phone at (202) 727-2241 or via the e-BIC’s online calendar at restoredc.dcbiz.dc.gov.

For more information about the CBE program or DSLBD in general, please visit dslbd.dc.gov.