At Quest, we believe providing opportunities for small businesses contributes to the overall economic growth and expansion of our markets, and supports our business objectives. It is also a critical element of the company’s diversity vision and values.
Quest Diagnostics works proactively to offer opportunities to small businesses, particularly where we can promote economic opportunities for disadvantaged businesses, namely, those owned by minorities, women, veterans, and service-disabled veterans, and those located in historically underutilized business zones (HUBZones).
To open up new opportunities to the small business owner, and to be able to measure and demonstrate our impact, Quest strongly encourages all of our small suppliers to complete the certification process established by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). There is no cost to become certified, but once you complete the process, there are benefits not available to other businesses, such as contract award preferences, loan and bonding programs, and increased visibility. To get started, follow the roadmap below.
Steps to becoming a certified small business
Register your company’s name, legal entity, accurate tax authority, and appropriate licenses and permits with the local state authorities
Obtain a DUNS number from D&B
Does my business already have a DUNS number? Check here: https://www.dnb.com/duns-number/lookup.html. Enter your legal business name, city, and state in the search box.
Find your NAIC code from the US Census Bureau
Confirm that your business meets the Size Standards of the SBA using the SBA’s Size Standards Tool
Register your business with the federal government’s System for Award Management (SAM) Effective June 2017, you can no longer access the System for Award Management (SAM) using Internet Explorer (IE) Versions older than IE11. You either need to upgrade to an Internet Explorer version of IE11 or higher, or access SAM with another supported browser type (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc).
Certify your business in one or more of the following areas:
Small Business (all) https://certify.sba.gov/
Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB)
http://sbagov.org/government_opportunities/federal_contracting_guide/small_disadvantaged_business.htm
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVO)
https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/service-disabled-veteran-owned-small-businesses-program
Veteran-Owned Businesses (VO)
https://www.inc.com/guides/2010/05/veteran-owned-business-certification.html
Women-Owned Business (WO)
https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/women-owned-small-business-federal-contracting-program
HUBZone Small Business (HUB)
https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/hubzone-program
