Office of Procurement and Contracts, Kansas Department of Administration
Disabled Veteran Owned Business (DVOB). Applications go to Kansas Procurement and Contracts, 900 SW Jackson, Room 451-S, Topeka, KS 66612-1216. The Kansas Office of Veterans Services verifies disabled veteran status. Office of Procurement and Contracts, Kansas Department of Administration →
10 percent, and it says shall
K.S.A. 75-3740(b) provides that a contract shall be awarded to a disabled veteran business whose total bid cost is not more than 10 percent higher than the lowest competitive bid.
10 percent minimum disability rating
The statute requires a service-connected evaluation of 10 percent or more under 38 U.S.C. 1101 et seq. or 10 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.
Recertified every year
A disabled veteran business is certified annually by the Department of Administration and verified by the Kansas Office of Veterans Services.
The preference
A mandatory 10 percent award window
Kansas competitive bids normally go to the lowest responsible bidder, but K.S.A. 75-3740(b) carves out an exception: a contract shall be awarded to a certified business or disabled veteran business that is also a responsible bidder and whose total bid cost is not more than 10 percent higher than the lowest competitive bid.
- The language is mandatory rather than permissive, which makes this stronger than the discretionary preferences several other states use.
- The exception is written into the opening of the competitive bidding statute, so it applies to contracts and purchases made by or under the supervision of the director of purchases or any state agency where competitive bids are required.
- Kansas also runs a separate program for certified businesses employing individuals with disabilities under the same subsection; the employee-percentage promise and the 25 percent subcontracting cap in that subsection attach to the certified business, not to the disabled veteran business.
Source: K.S.A. 75-3740
A separate credit for buying from certified businesses
Under K.S.A. 75-3740(c)(1)(B), a responsible bidder that purchases from a certified business can have the prior fiscal year’s dollar amount of those purchases deducted from its own bid for the purpose of determining the lowest responsible bid, up to 10 percent of the original bid.
- This creates a reason for primes to buy from certified firms, since the spend converts into a bid advantage the following year.
- The deduction is capped at 10 percent of the original bid received from that bidder.
Source: K.S.A. 75-3740(c)
Eligibility
Disabled veteran, defined by statute
A disabled veteran is a person who served in the active military, naval, air or space service, including the groups listed under 38 C.F.R. 3.7, was discharged or released under an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions, received a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, and has a service-connected evaluation of 10 percent or more.
- All three elements are required: qualifying service, a line-of-duty disability, and a rating of at least 10 percent.
- The rating authority is 38 U.S.C. 1101 et seq. or 10 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.
Source: K.S.A. 75-3740(g)(5)
Disabled veteran business, defined by statute
A disabled veteran business is a sole proprietorship, partnership, association or corporation domiciled in Kansas — or any corporation, even a wholly owned subsidiary of a foreign corporation — that is certified annually by the Department of Administration and verified by the Kansas Office of Veterans Services.
- Not less than 51 percent of the business must be owned by one or more disabled veterans, or for a publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock.
- Management and daily business operations must be controlled by one or more disabled veterans.
- Those ownership and control requirements must be maintained for the entire contract term.
- The application also asks for a written narrative on Kansas work presence: principal place of business in Kansas, majority of payroll to Kansas residents, majority of employees Kansas residents, or significant capital investment in Kansas.
- The statute sets no revenue or employee-count ceiling for the disabled veteran business category.
Source: K.S.A. 75-3740(g)(6)
Certification
Annual certification, verified against the federal record
Certification is granted by the Department of Administration and renewed annually, with status verified by the Kansas Office of Veterans Services. The application states that the state will use the federal service-disabled veteran-owned small business record to verify the business, and that applicants should be registered there.
- Federal registration is used as a verification tool, not as a substitute — the Kansas application is still required.
- A SAM Unique Entity ID is needed to register and be verified federally.
- The annual cycle is shorter than almost any other state program, so a lapse is easy.
Source: Kansas — Disabled Veteran Owned Business Application
How to apply
Complete the application and mail it to Topeka
The state publishes a Disabled Veteran Owned Business application and checklist. The completed checklist and application are submitted to Kansas Procurement and Contracts at 900 SW Jackson, Room 451-S, Topeka, KS 66612-1216.
- The application questionnaire asks you to initial each requirement to confirm you have included the necessary information.
- You check the business type: sole proprietorship, partnership, association, corporation domiciled in Kansas, or wholly owned subsidiary of a foreign corporation.
- You attach a separate letter describing the business’s Kansas work presence.
- Provide copies of VA documents supporting the service-connected disability.
- The Department of Administration publishes application assistance links, and SAM.gov registration help is available at 1-866-443-4110.
Source: Kansas — Certified Business and Disabled Veteran Owned Business
Finding opportunities
Quarterly list, not a live directory
Kansas publishes a list of current Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses, updated quarterly by the Office of Procurement and Contracts. It is a PDF, not a searchable database.
- Because the list is refreshed only quarterly, a newly certified firm can be invisible to buyers for weeks.
- Bid solicitations are posted through the state eSupplier system; bidder registration is free.
Source: Kansas — Certified Business and Disabled Veteran Owned Business
What gets reported wrongly about Kansas
- The 10 percent is not a scoring bonus or a bid discount — it is a mandatory award window. A certified disabled veteran business bidding within 10 percent of the low bid shall get the contract.
- Kansas is frequently listed as having a 3 percent goal for disabled veteran businesses. The statute contains no such goal; what it contains is the 10 percent award provision in K.S.A. 75-3740(b).
- The 25 percent subcontracting cap and the disability-employment promise in K.S.A. 75-3740(b) belong to the certified business program for employers of individuals with disabilities, not to the disabled veteran business category.
- Certification is annual, not two or three years. Miss the renewal and the preference disappears until you are recertified.
- Federal SDVOSB registration does not certify you in Kansas. It is used by the state to verify your status, but the Kansas application still has to be filed.
- The statute requires a disability rating of at least 10 percent, so a veteran with a service-connected condition but no compensable rating does not qualify.
- The application form still refers to verification by the Commission on Veteran’s Affairs; the statute now names the Kansas Office of Veterans Services.
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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