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Veteran Initiative

Helps veteran-owned and service-connected disabled veteran-owned small businesses gain greater access to purchasing and contracting opportunities at the state level.

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Gain greater access to purchasing and contracting opportunities with the State

Louisiana’s Veteran Initiative is a certification program that is designed to help eligible Louisiana Veteran-owned and Service-Connected Disabled-Veteran-owned small businesses gain greater access to purchasing and contracting opportunities that are available at the state government level.

Your business and contact information will be accessible to state purchasing officials and prime contractors who are looking for subcontractors. State agencies are encouraged to get quotes from and use qualified, certified companies whenever possible. For small purchases (less than $25,000), state agencies can waive the required additional quotes if a certified company submits a quote that is reasonable. 12% of the total evaluation points can be added to your bid on a Request for Proposal (RFP). Prime contractors who use your business as a subcontractor on a bid for an RFP are also eligible to receive additional percentage points on their bid.

Eligibility

The program is open to all Louisiana businesses that meet the following eligibility requirements for a Small Entrepreneurship (SE) under the Veteran Initiative. Once certified, business owners are required to submit annual updates through www.ledsmallbiz.com. Failure to submit the required information before your anniversary date each year will result in termination of your certification.

What are the eligibility requirements?

  • Veteran Ownership – At least 51% of the business must be owned by a veteran
  • Principal Place of Business – The company must have its principal place of business in Louisiana
  • Employees – The company must have fewer than 50 full-time employees
  • Average Annual Gross Receipts – Average annual gross receipts must not exceed $6 million for non-construction and $10 million for construction companies
  • Independently Owned and Operated – The business must be independently owned and operated
  • Not Dominant – The business must not be dominant in its professional field
  • Louisiana Residency – Must be owned by persons domiciled in Louisiana
  • Citizenship – Must be owned by and have officers who are U.S. citizens or legal residents

Service-Connected Disabled Veteran – This is an additional distinction available within the Veteran Initiative for Service-Connected Disabled-Veteran-owned businesses. To qualify, the business must meet all of the requirements above, as well as the following:

  • Service-Connected Disabled-Veteran-Owned – At least 51% of the business must be owned by a Service-Connected Disabled Veteran

Program Statutes & Rules: 

All incentive program rules are in the Louisiana Administrative Code maintained by the Office of the State Register.

Begin the Process

The Process

To take advantage of Louisiana’s Veteran Initiative and to gain greater access to purchasing and contracting opportunities with the state government, complete the online application at www.ledsmallbiz.com.

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1

Complete the application online.

2

LED reviews the online application. LED will review completed applications within two business days of submission.

3

Certification status is emailed to applicant.

4

Register as a vendor with the Office of State Procurement to begin receiving email notifications about purchasing and contracting opportunities available through the State of Louisiana. The Hudson and Veteran Initiatives’ Coordinator List can be found on the Office of State Procurement website.

5

Submit annual updates through www.ledsmallbiz.com by your anniversary date each year to remain certified in the program. Three email notifications will be sent to remind you to submit this information.

1

Complete the application online.

2

LED reviews the online application. LED will review completed applications within two business days of submission.

3

Certification status is emailed to applicant.

4

Register as a vendor with the Office of State Procurement to begin receiving email notifications about purchasing and contracting opportunities available through the State of Louisiana. The Hudson and Veteran Initiatives’ Coordinator List can be found on the Office of State Procurement website.

5

Submit annual updates through www.ledsmallbiz.com by your anniversary date each year to remain certified in the program. Three email notifications will be sent to remind you to submit this information.

Eligibility Scenarios

No. Your business would not qualify for the Veteran Initiative certification. If you meet the other qualifications, however, your business would qualify for the Hudson Initiative certification.

Yes. If you would like to do business with the state government in Louisiana, you must be certified by Louisiana’s Veteran Initiative program, LAVETBIZ.

If you qualify for the Veteran Initiative, then you also qualify for the Hudson Initiative and your application will be submitted for both.

FAQs

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NO. The Veteran Initiative is a goal-oriented program, but there are no contracts set aside for certified businesses. You must register your business with the Office of State Procurement in order to learn about current bid opportunities in your industry.

You must register your business as a vendor with the Office of State Procurement in order to learn about current bid opportunities in your industry.

The Veteran Initiative certification provides 12% extra points that can be added to your bid on a Request for Proposal (RFP) whereas the Hudson Initiative only provides 10% extra points. For non-construction related businesses, the Veteran Initiative requires that average annual gross receipts must not exceed $6 million, the Hudson Initiative requires not to exceed $5 million.

Go to www.ledsmallbiz.com and click on the link under the program headers to find the list of Certified Veteran or Service-Connected Disabled Veteran businesses.

Contact the Louisiana APEX Accelerator for help with the marketing and bidding process, and post-award and contract management.

Visit the Vendor Resources page on the Office of State Procurement’s website for additional information for vendors, including the annually updated guide on “How to Do Business with the State of Louisiana.”

View “Your guide for conducting business with the State of Louisiana” to learn more about the procurement process.

View “How to respond to an Invitation to Bid (ITB)” to learn more about the ITB process with the state of Louisiana.

View “How to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP)” to learn more about the RFP process with the State of Louisiana.

Small Business Services

Please reach out to LED’s Small Business Services department for more information about the program.

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