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Veteran Business Enterprise Verification for Commonwealth Contracting

DGS verifies a veteran-owned or service-disabled veteran-owned small business for Commonwealth contracting — but it verifies someone else’s certificate, so the SBA’s VetCert comes first.

Verified August 22, 2026

What this benefit is

DGS verifies a veteran-owned or service-disabled veteran-owned small business for Commonwealth contracting — but it verifies someone else’s certificate, so the SBA’s VetCert comes first.

What it's worth: Verified status for Commonwealth contracting, on a business of up to 100 employees

  • Verification is a door rather than a payment: what it is worth depends on what the Commonwealth buys and whether you bid.
  • The size limits are the binding constraint for a growing firm — 100 employees or fewer AND a three-year average gross revenue of $47 million or less.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • The character of service is other than dishonorable.
  • Your home is in Pennsylvania.

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. 1Get the third-party certificate first. DGS verifies certifications from approved entities — the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert), or Disability:IN for a veteran disability-owned enterprise.
  2. 2Check the ownership and size tests before starting: at least 51% veteran-owned, no more than 100 employees, and a three-year average gross revenue no greater than $47 million.
  3. 3Expect the Commonwealth side to be quick once the certificate exists — DGS describes roughly a ten-day verification of tax data, size data and the third-party certificate.
  4. 4Diary the renewal. Verification lapses every two years, and a lapsed status is discovered at exactly the wrong moment.
File with
Pennsylvania Department of General Services, Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities
Documents you will need
dd214 · business ownership documents
Periodic recertification
Verification is renewed every two years.
CorrectionPennsylvania does not run its own veteran business certification. It verifies a certificate issued elsewhere, so a veteran who starts with the Commonwealth is starting in the wrong place — VetCert or Disability:IN comes first.
Known gapSeveral states attach a numeric contracting goal or a pricing preference to this status. We could not read one on a Commonwealth page, so we do not publish a figure. Ask BDISBO what participation is expected on the contract you are bidding.

Sources

Why only one source type: DGS states the ownership test, the size limits, the approved third-party certifiers and the renewal period on its own page. We found no Commonwealth page stating a veteran contracting goal we could read, so we publish the verification and not a percentage.

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