Description
Join us for a comprehensive webinar on how to apply for federal small business certifications through the SBA’s certification portal, MySBA Certifications. The session has been fully updated to reflect the SBA’s newly effective 8(a) social disadvantage rule (effective September 2026) and the latest HUBZone map and processing-time realities, so you’re working from current requirements, not outdated guidance.
You’ll get a clear, practical overview of the certification process and learn how to navigate your application with greater confidence while avoiding common mistakes that can lead to lengthy processing times or denial.
We’ll walk through the major SBA federal contracting certification programs, including HUBZone certification, Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB and Economically Disadvantaged WOSB) certification, Veteran-Owned and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB/SDVOSB) certification, and the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development certification.
Topics covered include all major steps in the certification process, such as:
- Choosing which program(s) to apply for and understanding timing considerations
- Registering and maintaining your business in SAM.gov
- Creating an account in MySBA Certifications
- Identifying, gathering, and organizing the required certification documentation
- Preparing required documentation, self-certifications, and letters of explanation
- Navigating the MySBA Certifications portal and submitting your application
- Monitoring communications and responding to SBA information requests
- Understanding certification maintenance requirements, including recertification cycles, MySBA account management, and reporting material changes
- Receiving and understanding the approval or denial of your application
Target Audience: Small business government contractors and APEX Accelerator counselors.
Meet Your Instructors:
ASHLEY DUWEL, CEO of Duwel Dev, LLC
Ashley Duwel is the CEO of Duwel Dev, the fractional business development team for established businesses scaling in the government marketplace. Duwel Dev leads and implements federal growth strategies — owning capture, proposal development, and the BD infrastructure that turns pipeline into awards. Ashley is also the Founder of GovConHacks, a government contracting support platform offering training, tools, and community resources for small businesses working with the government.
With over 15 years of federal sales execution experience, Ashley has personally trained over 25,000 small business owners and supported clients in securing over $2.5B in contract awards/ subawards across civilian and defense agencies.
For the last five years, Ashley has served as a Procurement Counselor with various APEX Accelerators, helping small businesses navigate registration, certifications, market research, teaming, opportunity evaluation, and more.
Duwel Dev is a HUBZone and Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) certified firm headquartered in the Tampa Bay area, Florida.
Bianca Lucero (verified owner) –
I really enjoyed the structure of the webinar; it was clear, organized, and easy to follow. The step-by-step screenshots of the portal were incredibly helpful and made the process much easier to understand. The links in the slides were also very convenient and easy to access. Having multiple instructors was a great benefit, as it provided different ranges of expertise and perspectives. I also appreciated the time allocated for questions and the thoughtful, thorough responses. This has given me more confidence to start the process for the SBA program, which I found overwhelming at first, and it has provided me with the foundation to better prepare and know what to expect. Thank you for such an informative and supportive session.
Jennifer Swearingen (verified owner) –
Extremely informative. Clearly explained and walked us through the updates to the various certifications and new website, pointing out areas we need to pay particular attention to. I liked that they gave us a step-by-step plan to complete our certifications. They also shared that you have a window of time to complete registrations and that they don’t have to be done in one day, which was reassuring. I feel much more confident moving forward with our certifications thanks to this training. Greatly appreciate them sharing their time and expertise.