Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD), Delaware Division of Small Business, Department of State
Veteran Owned Business Enterprise and Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business Enterprise (VOBE / SDVOBE). Email osd@delaware.gov. Office at 820 North French Street, 10th Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801. The OSD page also lists (302) 577-8497 for certification questions. Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD), Delaware Division of Small Business, Department of State →
Two separate veteran categories
Delaware certifies Veteran Owned Business Enterprise and Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business Enterprise as distinct designations.
Three-year certification
OSD certifications expire after three years, which is longer than the two-year norm.
Federal verification used for SDVOBE
The state’s definition of a service disabled veteran is one verified through the federal veteran business system or the VA as a service-disabled veteran.
Certification
VOBE and SDVOBE
Delaware’s Office of Supplier Diversity certifies diverse businesses across five categories — minority, women, veteran, service-disabled veteran and individuals with disabilities — plus small businesses of a unique size under the Small Business Focus program.
- A Veteran Owned Business Enterprise is a for-profit business where at least 51 percent of the beneficial interest and control is held by veterans; for a corporation, veterans must also hold at least 51 percent of the voting stock.
- A Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business Enterprise is the same structure with control held by service-disabled veterans.
- Certifications expire after three years, and recertification is required to stay in the state directory.
- Failure to submit a recertification removes the business from the online directory as an expired listing.
- A business expired more than 60 days is invited to reapply.
Source: Delaware OSD — Policy for Diverse and Small Business Certification
Eligibility
Ownership, control and useful business function
Certification is met when the applicants own and control a minimum of 51 percent of the firm, including the daily operation of the business for which customers pay. Control must rest with the owners applying for certification.
- The business must be for-profit with a useful business function.
- Ownership must be held by U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
- Control is not demonstrated if it is held by people who are not the 51 percent owners, or if the 51 percent owners do not hold independent knowledge and ability — which may include licensure — to perform the work customers pay for.
- If owners perform only or primarily administrative tasks that are not services offered to clients, or do not hold the current Delaware licenses or certifications for the services provided, control may not be met.
- Control is exemplified by possession of the requisite knowledge and expertise to run the business, including capital investments, negotiations, legal matters, hiring, cost control, income and dividend decisions.
Source: Delaware OSD — Policy for Diverse and Small Business Certification
Veteran and service-disabled veteran definitions
Delaware’s policy defines a veteran as an individual who has served in the United States military. A service disabled veteran is an individual meeting the veteran criteria who is verified through the federal veteran business verification system or the Veterans Administration as a service-disabled veteran.
- The service-disabled definition leans on federal verification, so a federally verified SDVOSB has the proof Delaware wants for that category.
- No minimum disability rating is stated in the policy.
- There is no Delaware residency requirement stated for the owners in the diverse business criteria.
- Diverse business certification carries no size limit; the separate Small Business Focus program has industry size caps by NAICS sector.
Source: Delaware OSD — Policy for Diverse and Small Business Certification
The preference
No bid preference — visibility and supplier diversity plans instead
Delaware attaches no percentage preference, goal, set-aside or tie-breaker to VOBE or SDVOBE certification. OSD’s stated mission is to certify firms, maintain the public directory, increase access to state procurement, encourage agencies to use the directory for under-threshold purchases, and measure and report diverse business spend.
- The directory is also published as open data.
- The encouragement for agencies is to use the directory when making under-threshold procurements — that is where certification is most likely to turn into work.
- OSD lists the benefits as being listed in the directory, free marketing exposure and connections to public and private sector buyers.
Source: Delaware OSD — Policy for Diverse and Small Business Certification
How to apply
Apply in the OSD certification portal
Applications run through the OSD Certification Application Portal. OSD publishes eligibility requirements, the policy document, an application guidance sheet, a portal job aid and supporting document checklists before you start.
- Review the supporting documents checklists first to identify what you will need to upload.
- Certification and recertification are both handled in the portal.
- Questions: osd@delaware.gov or (302) 577-8497.
Finding opportunities
Public Directory of Certified Businesses
Delaware publishes a searchable Directory of Certified Businesses covering all the diverse and small business categories, including the two veteran designations. The Division of Small Business also points suppliers to the state Bids Portal and MyMarketplace.
- Suppliers can register to receive state procurement opportunity notifications.
- MyMarketplace provides procurement business intelligence tools and current and archived contract information.
- The Division publishes a printable procurement resource guide.
What gets reported wrongly about Delaware
- Delaware certification carries no bid preference, goal or set-aside. Firms expecting a price advantage from VOBE or SDVOBE status will not find one.
- Delaware certifies two separate veteran categories, VOBE and SDVOBE, so pick the right one — the service-disabled category requires federal verification of the disability.
- Certification lasts three years, not two. Letting it lapse removes the firm from the public directory, and after 60 days expired you have to reapply rather than recertify.
- The control test is stricter than the ownership test. Delaware will refuse certification where the 51 percent owners cannot themselves perform or direct the work customers pay for, or lack required Delaware licenses.
- Two phone numbers circulate for OSD — (302) 577-8477 on the OSD portal and (302) 577-8497 for certification questions on the Division of Small Business page. Try both.
- The diverse business categories have no size cap. The size caps published in OSD’s policy belong to the separate Small Business Focus program.
Every figure on this page links to the source it came from. Verified October 24, 2026. Procurement rules change — check the source before you rely on a number.
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