Women business owners in North Carolina used to have two certification paths worth understanding: a nationally recognized WBENC certification issued through the regional partner WBEC South, and a state-level Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) certification issued by the NC Department of Administration. Only one still exists.
North Carolina's 2026 state budget (Session Law 2026-41, signed July 7, 2026) eliminated the Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses and repealed the statutes behind the HUB program, including the state's 10% minority-participation goal on public building projects. There is no active state-level WBE certification in North Carolina right now. The North Carolina Small Business Enterprise (NCSBE) program survives, moved to the Department of Administration's Division of Purchase & Contract, but it's a size-based, race- and gender-neutral program, not a women-ownership certification.
Who certifies women-owned businesses in North Carolina now
WBENC certification (national): The Women's Business Enterprise National Council does not certify businesses directly. It works through regional partner organizations. In North Carolina, that partner is WBEC South (Women's Business Enterprise Council South), headquartered in Atlanta. WBEC South certifies businesses across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Your WBENC certificate is issued by WBEC South but recognized by corporate members and thousands of other corporate buyers nationwide, and it never depended on North Carolina's state program.
If you're pursuing government contracts specifically, look federally instead of at the state: WOSB certification and DBE certification (for NCDOT highway work) both still function exactly as before, since neither depends on North Carolina's state budget.
Who qualifies for WBENC certification through WBEC South
- The business must be at least 51% owned, operated, and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents
- The woman or women who own the business must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents
- Ownership must be real, not nominal — the certifier looks at how profit distributions, equity, and decision-making authority actually work
- The business must be for-profit and physically located in the United States
- No specific revenue cap, though auditors look harder at very large companies
If you're pursuing the surviving North Carolina Small Business Enterprise (NCSBE) track for state contracts, note that it's based on business size, not ownership demographics, and its updated eligibility criteria were still being finalized under the Division of Purchase & Contract as of this writing. Confirm current thresholds at doa.nc.gov.
Documents required for WBENC certification
- Business formation documents: articles of incorporation or organization, operating agreement, bylaws
- Ownership evidence: stock certificates, membership certificates, or equivalent
- Proof of citizenship: U.S. passport or permanent resident card for each qualifying owner
- Two most recent years of business tax returns
- Most recent personal tax return for the primary owner
- Bank signature cards and banking resolutions showing who controls accounts
- Business licenses and any professional licenses
- For businesses with employees: payroll records or W-3
- A signed application and attestation
WBEC South also requires a site visit for most applicants. A certifier comes to your place of business (or conducts a virtual visit) to verify that the woman owner is genuinely in control of day-to-day operations. This is not optional and not a formality; be prepared.
Application process and timeline
- Create an account at wbecsouth.org and begin the online application
- Complete the application form, which covers ownership structure, business operations, and financials
- Upload all required documents through the portal
- Pay the certification fee (currently $350 for businesses with revenue under $1 million; $500 for $1M-$5M; higher tiers above that)
- A WBEC South certifier reviews your file and contacts you with any questions or missing documents
- Schedule and complete the site visit
- Receive certification decision
Realistic timeline: 60 to 90 days from submission to decision, assuming your documents are complete at submission. Incomplete applications add 30 to 60 days. Site visits are typically scheduled within two to four weeks of document approval.
WBENC certifications are valid for one year and require annual renewal, which involves a shorter recertification review and a renewal fee.
What replaced the state contract advantage
Before its elimination, HUB certification came with a statutory goal: state law set an aspirational target of 10% of annual state expenditures going to HUB-certified firms, and state agencies tracked participation and evaluated procurement officers on their outreach. That mechanism is gone along with the statutes that created it. There's no ownership-based goal or preference on North Carolina state contracts anymore.
NCDOT still maintains its own goals under federal DBE requirements for federally funded projects, unaffected because that program runs under federal regulation, not the state statutes that were repealed. If you work in construction, engineering, or related fields on NCDOT projects, DBE certification is the credential that still matters there.
With WBENC certification:
WBENC opens corporate supplier diversity programs, not government contracts. Fortune 500 companies, regional corporations, and large private employers with active supplier diversity programs accept WBENC as the standard credential for women-owned businesses. Companies including Duke Energy, Bank of America, Lowe's, and Honeywell, all headquartered or significantly present in North Carolina, run supplier diversity programs that source WBENC-certified vendors.
Corporate buyers use WBENC certification to verify ownership claims quickly rather than auditing suppliers themselves. Having the certificate removes friction from the sourcing conversation.
How WBE certification stacks with federal certifications
The WBENC certificate doesn't grant access to federal set-asides on its own. For federal contracts, women-owned businesses need the SBA's Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) certification or, for economically disadvantaged women, the EDWOSB designation.
The two programs are complementary and share document requirements. If you're building a certification portfolio, you can often use the same tax returns, formation documents, and ownership records across WBENC and SBA WOSB applications. SBA WOSB certification is currently free through SAM.gov.
A business operating in North Carolina with both certifications, WBENC and SBA WOSB, can pursue federal set-aside contracts and corporate supplier diversity programs simultaneously. With the state HUB program gone, that combination now covers the procurement markets actually open to women-owned status here.
If the owner is also a veteran or belongs to an ethnic minority group, additional certifications (SDVOSB, NMSDC MBE) may apply and can be pursued using largely the same documentation.
Getting help with the application
WBEC South has staff who can answer basic eligibility questions by phone or email and offers pre-application consultations. NC's network of Small Business Centers, housed at community colleges statewide, can also help you prepare documentation.
If you'd rather have someone manage the paperwork across multiple certifications at once, CertifyAll handles the application process for WBE and other certifications, collecting your documents once and preparing submissions to the relevant agencies.
WBENC certification takes real effort to complete correctly. Firms that start the process with clean documentation and a clear ownership structure get through fastest. The time you invest pays off in access to procurement programs that are actively looking for certified women-owned vendors.
