8(a) certification in California

To get 8(a) certified in California, register in SAM.gov, confirm you meet SBA's rules for small businesses at least 51% owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged U.S. citizens, and apply free on MySBA Certifications. Norcal APEX Accelerator (Cal Poly Humboldt) helps California businesses apply at no cost.

1. 01

   Register in SAM.gov

   Every certification and federal award needs an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID. Registration is free and must be renewed every 365 days.^[1]

2. 02

   Check 8(a) eligibility

   The business must be small under SBA size standards and at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens who are socially and economically disadvantaged, with good character and the potential for success.^[3]

3. 03

   Get free help in California

   Norcal APEX Accelerator (Cal Poly Humboldt) or San Diego, Orange, Imperial APEX Accelerator: free counseling on SAM.gov, certification and bidding.^[17][18]

4. 04

   Apply on MySBA Certifications

   Apply at certifications.sba.gov. SBA aims to decide within 90 days of a complete application.^[2]

5. 05

   Register with California too

   8(a) covers federal contracts. To sell to California agencies, register on Cal eProcure bidder registration (free).

6. 06

   Add the California certification

   Small Business (SB) and Micro Business certification, through DGS Office of Small Business & DVBE Services.^[19]

APEX Accelerators, funded by the Department of Defense, help with registration, certification and bids. SBA district offices run certification outreach and answer program questions.

APEX Accelerators

• Norcal APEX Accelerator (Cal Poly Humboldt)
• San Diego, Orange, Imperial APEX Accelerator

SBA district offices

• SBA Fresno District Office
• SBA Los Angeles District Office
• SBA Orange County / Inland Empire District Office
• SBA Sacramento District Office
• SBA San Diego District Office
• SBA San Francisco District Office

California certifies its own programs separately from SBA, for California state contracts. 8(a) does not carry over automatically; apply to this one on its own terms:

• Small Business (SB) and Micro Business certification, DGS Office of Small Business & DVBE Services. Free. Agencies can buy from certified small businesses through the SB/DVBE Option instead of a formal bid.^[19]

Highway, transit and airport contracts paid with U.S. DOT funds use Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certification, issued in California by the California Unified Certification Program (CUCP) (Caltrans and partner transit and airport agencies). It is separate from 8(a). Since October 3, 2025, DBE applicants no longer qualify by race or sex presumption: each owner submits a personal narrative of disadvantage and a personal net worth statement, under a $2,047,000 cap, and existing DBEs are being reevaluated.^[20][21][22]

947 open bids in California right now; 0 name 8(a) in the title.

No open bids right now. Browse all open bids

• Participants compete for 8(a) set-asides and can receive sole-source awards up to $8.5 million for manufacturing and $5.5 million for other work.^[3]
• The program lasts at most nine years, a four-year developmental stage and a five-year transitional stage, and a firm can take part only once.^[3]
• The government-wide goal for prime contracts to small disadvantaged businesses is 5%, the statutory floor, after SBA reset a 15% target in early 2025.^[6]

1. sam.gov/entity-registration
2. certifications.sba.gov/
3. sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/8a-business-development-program
4. federalregister.gov/documents/2023/07/19/2023-15078/
5. ecfr.gov/current/title-13/part-124/section-124.107
6. sba.gov/article/2025/02/24/sba-administrator-loeffler-issues-memo-day-one-priorities
7. sba.gov/article/2026/01/28/sba-suspends-over-1000-8a-firms-program-following-december-document-request
8. federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/11/2026-16370/
9. acquisition.gov/far/2.101
10. uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section644&num=0&edition=prelim
11. sba.gov/district/fresno
12. sba.gov/district/los-angeles
13. sba.gov/district/orange-county-inland-empire
14. sba.gov/district/sacramento
15. sba.gov/district/san-diego
16. sba.gov/district/san-francisco
17. apexnorcal.org/
18. apexsocal.org/
19. dgs.ca.gov/PD/Services/Page-Content/Procurement-Division-Services-List-Folder/Apply-for-or-Re-apply-as-Small-Business-Disabled-Veteran-Business-Enterprise
20. ucp.dot.ca.gov/
21. federalregister.gov/documents/2025/10/03/2025-19460/
22. transportation.gov/mission/civil-rights/disadvantaged-business-enterprise/september-2026-final-rule