8(a) Certification – not just for Construction and IT

There are approximately 9,000 8(a) certified firms. Of these firms over 1,100 of these firms are IT firms located in the Maryland, DC, and Virginia area. Because of statistics like this many business owners think that obtaining an 8(a) certification only works well for certain firms in certain geographical locations:

Typical Areas:
IT and Software Development, Construction (ALL TYPES) and Management Consulting make up over 65% of all 8(a) certified firms. Although these types of firms represent the lion’s share of 8(a) certified firms there are still many other opportunities for firms that have obtained an 8(a) certification to do extremely well with federal contracts. Many other types of businesses do well in niche industries. Do not get because you do not find many firms in your primary NAICS codes located near your business that are 8(a) certified.
Some examples of firms doing well in not traditional 8(a) businesses are as follows:

• Steel / Metals / Aluminum Distribution
• Water Filtration and Reverse Osmosis
• Aerospace
• Environmental Services
• Canning and Food Production
• Janitorial Services
• Engineering
• And many others