Policy
Corrections.
Certification rules, fees and portals change, and sometimes we get them wrong. This is the record of factual errors we published and fixed: the page, what it said, what it says now, and the source we checked. Newest first.
Last entry:
Found an error we have not fixed? Email contact@supplierdiversity.com with the page and the source that shows the right answer. How we handle it is in our editorial standards.
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NGLCC LGBTBE fee and timeline (certification guide, state LGBTBE pages and seven articles)
What was wrong: On October 30 we changed these pages to say NGLCC does not publish its certification fee or processing time. We had checked only NGLCC's main certification page.
What it says now: NGLCC's certification portal FAQ, the portal that page sends applicants to, lists a $899 certification fee and a $499 recertification fee, both waived with current affiliate chamber membership; 60 to 90 days once an application is complete; a mandatory virtual site visit; and a three-year term. The pages now say so. The guide's old statement that LGBTBE renews every year is also fixed.
Checked against: NGLCC certification portal FAQ (nglcc.gob2g.com), read 2026-11-02
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WOSB and EDWOSB renewal (certification guides, pillar FAQ and six articles)
What was wrong: The pages said WOSB and EDWOSB certification must be renewed or affirmed every year, and some still described WOSB self-certification.
What it says now: Under 13 CFR 127.400, SBA or a third-party certifier conducts a program examination every three years, from certification or the last examination, whichever is later; SBA can examine a firm at any time (127.403); material changes must be reported within 30 days (127.401). Certification is by SBA or an approved third-party certifier (127.300).
Checked against: 13 CFR 127.300, 127.400, 127.401, 127.403 (eCFR, current to October 29, 2026)
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Answers (15 pages re-checked claim by claim)
What was wrong: 55 statements were wrong, among them: an SBA portal address SBA no longer uses for 8(a); the removed 8(a) group presumption; two mentor-protege programs that merged in 2020; three HUBZone area types instead of seven and an employee test based on full-time equivalents; a 3% SDVOSB goal; a citizenship rule VetCert does not have; a 400-code WOSB NAICS list with the WOSB and EDWOSB designations reversed; and a $41.5 million construction size standard.
What it says now: Each answer was rewritten from the regulation or the certifier's own page: MySBA Certifications at certifications.sba.gov; the August 11, 2026 8(a) rule; one SBA Mentor-Protege Program; seven HUBZone area types and the 10-hours-a-week test; a 5% SDVOSB goal; VetCert's U.S. residence rule; the 733-code WOSB list in force since October 1, 2022; a $45 million building construction standard. Each page now lists its sources.
Checked against: eCFR (13 CFR parts 121, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128), acquisition.gov, sba.gov, nmsdc.org, wbenc.org
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How to become a Truist supplier
What was wrong: The guide sent readers to a SupplierOne registration portal that no longer resolves, listed certifiers Truist no longer names, called Truist the sixth-largest U.S. bank, and said Truist publishes no supplier inbox.
What it says now: Truist's supplier page lists no portal and asks suppliers to write to truistsupplierdevelopment@truist.com; the program is called Supplier Development; Truist Bank ranks ninth by assets with 1,927 domestic branches.
Checked against: truist.com supplier page; Federal Reserve large commercial banks release (June 30, 2026)
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How to become an RTX supplier
What was wrong: The guide gave RTX's sales as roughly $80 billion, described a supplier diversity program and certifier list RTX no longer publishes, and said CMMC requirements were tightening.
What it says now: RTX reported $88.6 billion in 2025 sales; Raytheon suspended its supplier diversity contract requirements effective January 21, 2025 and the work now sits in RTX's small business program; CMMC Phase II was suspended on July 13, 2026 pending review, with Phase I self-assessments still required.
Checked against: rtx.com supplier, small business, Raytheon supplier and cybersecurity pages; RTX 2025 results release
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Glossary (60 terms re-checked against primary sources)
What was wrong: Several entries were out of date: the SDVOSB entry said the VA runs VetCert and gave a 3% federal goal; the Buy American Act entry said products need substantially all domestic components; the subcontracting plan entry said small businesses bidding on bundled contracts must submit plans; the PTAC entry used the old name; the PSC example used code D302, retired in 2020.
What it says now: SBA has run VetCert since January 1, 2023 and the SDVOSB goal is 5%; the Buy American test is 65% domestic content through 2028 and 75% from 2029; small businesses are exempt from subcontracting plans (FAR 19.702(b)); PTACs are now APEX Accelerators; the PSC example uses a current code. Every term now lists its sources and the date it was checked.
Checked against: eCFR (13 CFR parts 121 to 130, 49 CFR part 26), acquisition.gov (FAR parts 19 and 25), 15 U.S.C. 644, sba.gov, sam.gov
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WBENC certification guide
What was wrong: The guide gave SBA's WOSB decision time as typically 30 to 90 days, and left out the card processing fee WBENC now charges.
What it says now: SBA's WOSB decision target is 90 days, whenever practicable (13 CFR 127.304), and the guide notes WBENC's 3% fee for card payments, in effect since July 1, 2026.
Checked against: 13 CFR 127.304; wbenc.org certification cost page
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MBE certification guide
What was wrong: The guide said NMSDC no longer publishes a certification fee range, and its cost-by-revenue table rendered empty.
What it says now: NMSDC does publish it: fees start at $270 for firms under $1 million in revenue and run to $1,700 for firms over $50 million. The range and the table are restored.
Checked against: NMSDC certification process FAQ (nmsdc.org), read 2026-10-29
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Companies spending $1 billion or more with diverse suppliers
What was wrong: The page listed all 43 companies as current $1 billion diverse spenders and led with two that had ended or stopped tracking diverse spend.
What it says now: Every company was re-checked against its own program page, report or filing. Each is labeled: still publishing a 2023 or later figure, goal ended, program reframed, live with no figure, or not verified.
Checked against: Each company's own supplier program page or filing, checked 2026-10-29
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Small business grant guides (four pages)
What was wrong: The pages listed closed or ended programs as open (NAACP grants, the FedEx small business contest, Jobber's 2026 round), and gave the Amber Grant as $10,000 monthly and $50,000 year-end.
What it says now: Closed programs are marked closed or removed. The Amber Grant is three $15,000 monthly grants and three $75,000 year-end grants. SBIR ceilings are $335,937 (Phase I) and $2,239,578 (Phase II).
Checked against: Each program's own site, checked 2026-10-23
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Texas MBE and WBE certification guides and seven related Texas pages
What was wrong: The pages told minority-owned and women-owned firms to get Texas HUB certified, describing the program as it worked before December 2025.
What it says now: Texas HUB is now VetHUB, open to service-disabled-veteran-owned firms only, under the Comptroller's rules (emergency 2025-12-02, permanent 2026-05-12). The pages say so and note the pending Travis County case.
Checked against: Texas Comptroller HUB FAQ, read 2026-10-23
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Alliant 2 GWAC guide and five other pages with 2026 dates
What was wrong: The pages described events that had already happened as upcoming: the Alliant 3 award, Georgia's certification portal reopening, SCDOT's DBE directories returning, and WBENC's July 1 card fee.
What it says now: Each page states what happened and when.
Checked against: GSA, Georgia DOAS, SCDOT and WBENC sites, checked 2026-10-23
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How to become a US Foods supplier
What was wrong: The page sent readers to suppliers.usfoods.com, which does not resolve.
What it says now: Links to the working portal, suppliers.usfood.com, which is where US Foods' own supplier page points.
Checked against: US Foods supplier page, checked 2026-10-22
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8(a), DBE and ACDBE guides
What was wrong: The guides said five named groups are presumed socially disadvantaged under 8(a) and DBE. Both presumptions have been removed.
What it says now: The guides describe the current tests: individual evidence of social disadvantage under 13 CFR 124.103(c) for 8(a), and the personal narrative and reevaluation rules in 49 CFR part 26 for DBE. A DBE tip that said retirement accounts count toward personal net worth was also wrong and is fixed.
Checked against: 13 CFR 124.103 and 49 CFR part 26 (eCFR)
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NAICS size standards
What was wrong: 96 of 135 published SBA size standards were the figures in force before SBA's March 2023 update.
What it says now: All 96 match SBA's current table. Codes whose current standard we could not confirm are labeled unverified rather than guessed.
Checked against: SBA Table of Size Standards; 13 CFR 121.201 (eCFR)
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State certification program pages
What was wrong: An audit of every state found errors in 49 of 51 state entries, including a Utah listing with fees and a timeline for a program that does not exist, and links to a former regional council domain that now redirects to a casino site.
What it says now: Each state entry was rewritten from the state agency's own site. The fabricated Utah listing and the hijacked links are gone.
Checked against: Each state certifying agency's own site, July 2026
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8(a), HUBZone, WOSB and SDVOSB pages
What was wrong: The pages gave sole-source ceilings of $4.5 million and $7 million (or $7.5 million) everywhere, and said HUBZone and WOSB firms cannot receive sole-source awards.
What it says now: Current FAR ceilings: $5.5 million (other) and $8.5 million (manufacturing) for 8(a), HUBZone and WOSB/EDWOSB; $5 million and $8.5 million for SDVOSB. HUBZone (FAR 19.1306) and WOSB (FAR 19.1506) sole-source authority is stated correctly.
Checked against: FAR part 19 (acquisition.gov)
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Veteran certification pages (53 pages)
What was wrong: The pages linked service-disabled veterans to vetcert.sba.gov, certveterans.sba.gov and vetcert.va.gov, which no longer work, and said the VA runs veteran certification.
What it says now: Links go to certifications.sba.gov, and the pages say SBA runs the Veteran Small Business Certification program (VetCert).
Checked against: SBA certifications portal