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Veteran Initiative — 12% of the Evaluation Points on a State Proposal

A certified veteran-owned small entrepreneurship can be awarded 12% of the total evaluation points on a state request for proposals, and agencies may skip the extra-quotes requirement on purchases under $25,000.

Verified August 22, 2026

What this benefit is

A certified veteran-owned small entrepreneurship can be awarded 12% of the total evaluation points on a state request for proposals, and agencies may skip the extra-quotes requirement on purchases under $25,000.

What it's worth: 12% of the total evaluation points on an RFP, plus a small-purchase route under $25,000

  • Twelve percent of the evaluation points is a large margin on a competitive proposal, but it decides nothing on its own — the other 88% is still your bid.
  • The subcontracting side may be worth as much as the prime side: prime contractors that use a certified business as a subcontractor pick up additional percentage points themselves, which makes a certified firm more attractive to teams that would otherwise never call.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served.
  • You are in this state.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Run the six tests before applying: at least 51% veteran ownership; fewer than 50 full-time employees; average annual gross receipts not over $6 million for a non-construction business or $10 million for construction; principal place of business in this state; owners domiciled here; owners US citizens or legal residents. The business must also be independently owned and operated and not dominant in its field.
  2. 2If you are claiming the service-connected disabled tier, the 51% must be owned by someone with that designation specifically.
  3. 3Apply online. Economic development reviews applications within two business days and issues the certification by email — this is one of the faster certifications in the country.
  4. 4Certification is not the finish line: register with the Office of State Procurement afterwards, or agencies cannot buy from you under the programme.
  5. 5Diarise the anniversary date. The certification requires an annual update, and lapsing it means losing the evaluation points on any proposal in flight.
Form
Online certification application
File with
Economic Development, then register with the Office of State Procurement
Documents you will need
dd214 · va benefit summary letter
Annual recertification
The office asks you to confirm each year.
CorrectionThis is often described as a set-aside. It is not: the programme page calls it goal-oriented and race and gender neutral, and what it actually delivers is evaluation points and a small-purchase route. No contract is reserved.
Worth knowingThe under-$25,000 route is the quiet one. A state agency may waive the requirement to collect additional quotes when a certified vendor submits a reasonable bid at that size — which is how a small certified firm gets its first state work without ever winning a competitive RFP.
Known gapThe programme page names a statutory basis, but the citation as rendered on the page did not resolve to a readable section and the state statute server would not load, so no statute number is published here.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.