Office of Supplier Development (OSD), Florida Department of Management Services
Certified Veteran Business Enterprise (CVBE). Certification questions go to OSDCert@dms.fl.gov; general questions to OSDHelp@dms.fl.gov. Office at 4050 Esplanade Way, Suite 380, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0950. The office was formerly named the Office of Supplier Diversity. Office of Supplier Development (OSD), Florida Department of Management Services →
A tie-breaker written into statute
On equal bids, section 295.187 requires the state agency to award the contract to the certified veteran business enterprise.
No disability rating needed
A wartime veteran qualifies on service alone; a service-disabled veteran needs a service-connected disability but the statute sets no minimum percentage.
Free certification, two-year term
OSD certifies at no charge through the MyFloridaMarketPlace Vendor Information Portal, and certification is renewed every two years online.
Certification
DMS certifies, FDVA assists
The Department of Management Services grants, denies and revokes veteran business enterprise certification and maintains the electronic directory. The Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs helps design the certification procedure and encourages eligible firms to apply.
- The certification procedure must be reviewed every two years and updated as needed.
- Chapter 120 application, denial and revocation procedures apply, so a denial is appealable.
- A certified firm must notify DMS within 30 business days of any event that may significantly affect its certification, including a change in ownership or in management and daily operations.
- Failing to give that notice means certification is revoked for 12 months, and during that period the firm may still bid but gets no preference.
Source: Fla. Stat. s. 295.187
Free, and renewed every two years
OSD states that it certifies wartime and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses for free, with free online certification and recertification every two years.
- Certification also gets the firm listed as a certified vendor in the Vendor Information Portal.
- Other stated benefits are bid sharing and referrals to state agencies and other organizations seeking certified businesses, plus emails on contract and networking opportunities.
- Florida offers no reciprocity: there is no streamlined path for SBA VetCert holders, and the statute requires Florida residency.
Source: Florida DMS OSD — Get Certified as a Veteran-Owned Business
The preference
Mandatory award on equal bids
When a state agency considers two or more bids, proposals or replies for commodities or contractual services, and at least one comes from a certified veteran business enterprise, and they are equal with respect to all relevant considerations including price, quality and service, the agency shall award to the certified veteran business enterprise.
- There is no percentage price preference, no set-aside and no participation goal.
- If two or more businesses each hold this preference or another statutory vendor preference and their bids are equal, the award goes to the business with the smallest net worth.
- That smallest-net-worth rule applies notwithstanding section 287.057(12).
- Political subdivisions are encouraged, but not required, to offer similar consideration to firms certified under this section.
Source: Fla. Stat. s. 295.187(4)
Eligibility
Two ways in: wartime veteran or service-disabled veteran
A veteran business enterprise must be at least 51 percent owned by one or more wartime veterans or service-disabled veterans, with management and daily operations controlled by one or more of them. Where a service-disabled veteran has a permanent and total disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver may provide that control.
- A service-disabled veteran must be a permanent Florida resident with a service-connected disability determined by the VA, or have been terminated from service by reason of disability by the Department of Defense. No minimum rating is specified.
- A wartime veteran is defined by section 1.01(14) or is a veteran of a period of war under 38 U.S.C. 1521 who served 90 days or more during a period of war, or who was discharged during a period of war for a service-connected disability, or who served 90 consecutive days beginning or ending during a period of war, or 90 days in total across more than one period of war.
- The business must employ 200 or fewer permanent full-time employees.
- Together with its affiliates the business must have a net worth of $5 million or less; for a sole proprietorship that figure includes personal and business investments.
- The business must be domiciled in Florida — for a corporation that means the state of incorporation, otherwise the principal place of business.
- The business must be organized to engage in commercial transactions.
Source: Fla. Stat. s. 295.187(3)
How to apply
Apply through MyFloridaMarketPlace
Register as a vendor in the MyFloridaMarketPlace Vendor Information Portal, indicate that you are seeking OSD certification, select the veteran designation and upload the required documents under the CBE Certifications section of your company profile.
- Documents of wartime service: a DD-214 for every veteran listed as an owner.
- Documents of service-connected disability: a DD-214 plus a VA or DoD letter showing the disability rating for each veteran relying on disability status.
- All documents go through the Vendor Information Portal or by postal mail, but a portal application is required either way.
- OSD staff review takes roughly 10 to 15 business days.
- If you are also seeking woman or minority certification, you must supply the additional document categories as well as the veteran category.
Source: Florida DMS — Application for Veteran Business Enterprise Certification
Finding opportunities
Searchable vendor directory
Section 295.187 requires DMS to maintain an electronic directory of certified veteran business enterprises for use by the state, local governments and the public. In practice that is the MyFloridaMarketPlace vendor search, where certified vendors can be filtered by their certification.
- OSD also publishes certified vendor reports and bid opportunity pages.
- Local governments are encouraged to use the directory even though the statutory preference binds only state agencies.
What gets reported wrongly about Florida
- Florida is often listed as having no veteran preference. It has one — a mandatory tie-breaker under section 295.187(4) — but no percentage price preference, set-aside or goal.
- The program is not limited to service-disabled veterans. A wartime veteran with no disability at all can certify, which is broader than most states.
- The size limits are easy to miss and they are strict: 200 or fewer permanent full-time employees and a $5 million net worth including affiliates, with personal investments counted for sole proprietors.
- Net worth, not revenue, is the test. A firm with high revenue and modest net worth can still qualify, while an asset-heavy firm with low revenue may not.
- Florida does not accept SBA VetCert in place of its own certification, and the statute requires Florida domicile and permanent Florida residency for the service-disabled veteran.
- The certifying office has been renamed the Office of Supplier Development. Older guides and bookmarks still say Office of Supplier Diversity.
- Failing to report a change in ownership or management within 30 business days costs the certification for a full 12 months, and the owner cannot reapply as an owner of any business during that period.
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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