Registering with the SBA as a Small Business

When establishing or reviewing size requirements, the SBA uses the following factors:

• Industry structure analysis
• Degree of competition
• Average firm size
• Startup cost
• Entry barriers
• Distribution of sales and employment by firm size
• Impact of different size standard levels on the objectives of SBA programs
• Comments from the public on notices of proposed rulemaking

For more information on small business size standards and NAICS codes, visit the SBA Web site or e-mail the agency at sizestandards@sba.gov.

In addition to certifying your company’s small business size status, the SBA also provides a series of programs intended to give small businesses better opportunities. In terms of government contracts, it gives small businesses the ability to compete with larger companies in the bidding process. In particular, the federal government has established regulations that mean small businesses are guaranteed a certain percentage of government contracts conditional on their size, type of business, and SBA program for which they qualify.