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The Certification That Actually Carries Weight — 5% Target and a Low-Bid Waiver

The Department of Administration's Supplier Diversity Program certifies disabled veteran-owned businesses, and this is the Wisconsin certification with real procurement force: AT LEAST 5% OF STATE PURCHASING AND CONTRACTING is targeted to certified minority and disabled veteran-owned businesses, and there is a LOW-BID WAIVER — the state may award to a certified firm whose bid is NO MORE THAN 5% ABOVE the low bid. That waiver is the part worth understanding: it means you do not have to be cheapest to win.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

The Department of Administration's Supplier Diversity Program certifies disabled veteran-owned businesses, and this is the Wisconsin certification with real procurement force: AT LEAST 5% OF STATE PURCHASING AND CONTRACTING is targeted to certified minority and disabled veteran-owned businesses, and there is a LOW-BID WAIVER — the state may award to a certified firm whose bid is NO MORE THAN 5% ABOVE the low bid. That waiver is the part worth understanding: it means you do not have to be cheapest to win.

What it's worth: A 5% state purchasing target, and awards up to 5% above the low bid

  • AT LEAST 5% OF STATE PURCHASING AND CONTRACTING is targeted to certified MINORITY AND DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED businesses.
  • LOW-BID WAIVER: the state may award to a certified firm whose bid is NO MORE THAN 5% ABOVE the low bid.
  • That waiver means you do not have to be the cheapest to win — which changes how to price.
  • Certified by the DOA SUPPLIER DIVERSITY PROGRAM.
  • A SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY is required. THE THRESHOLD IS NOT ESTABLISHED from the sources reviewed.
  • OWNERSHIP THRESHOLDS ARE NOT ESTABLISHED either.
  • The 5% target is shared with minority-owned businesses, so it is not a veterans-only pool.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • You have a service-connected disability.
  • You own a business.
  • Wisconsin state purchasing.

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. 1Apply to the DOA Supplier Diversity Program, not to WDVA — this is the certification with procurement force.
  2. 2Ask what disability and ownership thresholds apply; neither is published in what we reviewed.
  3. 3Price your bids knowing the 5% low-bid waiver exists. You need to be close, not cheapest.
  4. 4Remember the 5% target is shared with minority-owned businesses.
  5. 5Consider holding the WDVA veteran-owned certification as well for the directory listing.
Form
Certification through the DOA Supplier Diversity Program
File with
Wisconsin DOA Supplier Diversity Program
Documents you will need
va benefit summary letter
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingThe low-bid waiver is the practically useful half. A target is a measure the state reports on; a rule that lets an agency award to you at 4% above the low bid is a rule that wins contracts.
Known gapNeither the disability threshold nor the ownership percentage is published in the source reviewed. Both are questions for the Supplier Diversity Program before you invest time in certifying.

Sources

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