To be certified as an Economically Disadvantaged small business, the business must be located (or the owner must reside) in an Economically Disadvantaged Area in Minnesota. These areas include labor surplus areas, as designated by the federal government, and low income counties in Minnesota. Economically Disadvantaged small businesses must be certified as such by the Office of State Procurement in order to participate in the program.
Once certified, Economically Disadvantaged small businesses may be eligible for up to 12% preference in selling their products or services or bidding on construction projects to the state. In addition, we have the authority to set goals which require prime contractors to subcontract a portion of the work to certified Economically Disadvantaged businesses on contracts for construction or consulting services.