DOBE Certification for Printing & Packaging Companies

For businesses that are at least 51% owned by individuals with disabilities.

Printing and packaging offers steady, relationship-driven opportunities for diverse suppliers. Here's why certification matters:

Corporate Procurement Goals: Studies show that companies allocating 20% or more of spending to diverse suppliers report 10-15% higher annual sales. This gives procurement managers a strong incentive to shift printing and packaging spend to certified diverse suppliers.

Xerox Alliance Program: Xerox, a global leader in managed print services, operates a Supplier Connection Program that proactively identifies, builds relationships with, and procures goods and services from certified diverse businesses. Their Tier II program also encourages Xerox's own suppliers to subcontract to diverse firms.

Packaging Industry Leaders: Companies like Graphic Packaging and WestRock (now Smurfit WestRock) have dedicated supplier diversity initiatives, seeking diverse suppliers across packaging materials, printing services, and logistics.

Every Company Prints: Marketing collateral, product packaging, labels, business forms, direct mail, signage, and branded merchandise—every corporation has ongoing printing needs. These are recurring purchases that build long-term relationships.

Government Printing Office (GPO): The U.S. Government Publishing Office contracts with private sector printers for a significant portion of government printing needs, creating additional opportunities for certified diverse print companies.

Digital Transformation: As printing evolves toward variable data printing, wide-format, and specialty applications, diverse suppliers can differentiate through technology adoption and niche capabilities.

Must be at least 51% owned by individuals with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits major life activities.

Disability:IN publishes three baseline requirements, and its National Certification Committee verifies each one against your documents.

The published standard

• At least 51% owned, operated, managed, and controlled by a person (or persons) with a disability
• For-profit business
• Headquartered in the country in which it applies for certification; U.S. applicants document U.S. citizenship or permanent residency for the qualifying owner

Ownership: the 51% rule

• The owner(s) with a disability must hold at least 51% of the equity, documented through stock certificates, a stock transfer ledger, or the operating agreement
• Ownership must be genuine equity, not a nominal arrangement built to qualify; voting agreements, stock options, warrants, and buy/sell agreements are reviewed for provisions that undercut the 51%
• Multi-owner businesses qualify as long as the disability-identified owner(s) hold 51%+ combined

Control: management and operations

• The disability-identified owner must actually run the business: day-to-day operations and long-term strategic decisions
• Governing documents (bylaws, operating agreement, board minutes) must show that management authority sits with the disability-identified owner, not with non-disabled co-owners or outside managers through side agreements

Documenting disability status Disability:IN requires one form of disability documentation per qualifying owner. Any one of the following satisfies it:

• Records from a licensed, registered, or certified vocational rehabilitation specialist (state or private)
• An Individualized Education Program (IEP), for an owner with a learning disability
• Documentation from a federal, state, D.C., or U.S. territory agency that issues disability benefits
• The Disability:IN Physician's Form completed by a licensed medical professional

Service-disabled veteran owners applying as SDV-DOBE submit a DD-214 plus their VA Disability Ratings Letter instead. Visible and non-visible disabilities both qualify; the IEP route shows the standard reaches learning disabilities that many owners assume don't count.

Step 1: Pick the right designation Disability:IN issues three: DOBE (owner with a disability), V-DOBE (veteran owner with a disability), and SDV-DOBE (owner whose disability is service-connected). The designation determines which documents you submit, so settle this before opening the application.

Step 2: Check whether you qualify for a fast track Firms holding a current WBENC or NGLCC certification apply through the Disability:IN Certification Hub with a reduced document set; Disability:IN says those determinations typically take 30 days. Businesses verified through SBA VetCert apply for SDV-DOBE with their DD-214, VA Disability Ratings Letter, and SBA VetCert letter plus standard business documentation. NaVOBA-certified firms can opt in to the program as an SDV-DOBE, with renewals handled through NaVOBA.

Step 3: Download the certification checklist and gather documents Disability:IN publishes a certification checklist at disabilityin.org listing every required document by business structure. First-time applicants need formation and governance documents, proof of ownership, three years of signed federal tax returns, current financial statements, payroll records, and one form of disability documentation per qualifying owner (vocational rehabilitation records, an IEP, disability-benefits agency documentation, or the Disability:IN Physician's Form).

Step 4: Apply through the Certification Hub and pay the $300 fee Applications run through Disability:IN's Certification Hub at supplierhub.disabilityin.org. The $300 non-refundable processing fee is due by credit or debit card at submission. Be consistent; reviewers compare application answers against governing documents.

Step 5: National Certification Committee review The committee reviews the file and reserves the right to request additional documents if disability ownership, management, and control are not adequately established. Respond within any stated deadline to keep your file moving.

Step 6: Certification decision Once approved, certification is valid for three years. You can use the DOBE mark in your marketing and bid submissions, and corporate procurement teams can find you through Disability:IN's directory of certified suppliers.

Federal Opportunities

Key agencies and programs for printing and packaging:

• U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO): Contracts with private sector printers for government publications, forms, and materials
• Department of Defense (DoD): Military publications, training materials, packaging for defense logistics
• General Services Administration (GSA): Government-wide printing and publication services
• Department of Health & Human Services (HHS): Public health materials, Medicare publications

Key Contract Vehicles

• GPO Term Contracts (multi-year printing agreements)
• GSA MAS for printing and publications services
• Agency-specific printing BPAs
• 8(a) sole-source contracts for printing services

Categories of Government Printing

• Forms and publications
• Direct mail and outreach materials
• Training manuals and guides
• Signage and wayfinding
• Packaging for military and government supplies
• Variable data printing (personalized mailings)
• Large-format printing (posters, banners)

State and Local

State agencies, school districts, and municipalities all contract for printing services. Many have diverse supplier preferences and set-aside programs.