Federal Contracts for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB and SDVOSB)
Federal contracting playbook for veteran-owned and service-disabled-veteran-owned small businesses pursuing VA Vets First contracts and government-wide SDVOSB set-asides.
Top NAICS codes for this audience
NAICS codes are how federal contracting officers categorize the work being procured. Your registered NAICS codes determine which opportunities you'll match. Most relevant for this audience:
541511— Custom Computer Programming Services236220— Commercial and Institutional Building Construction541330— Engineering Services561210— Facilities Support Services332710— Machine Shops541611— Management Consulting Services
Set-asides this audience can use
- VA Vets First (38 USC 8127) — VA gives priority to SDVOSB then VOSB under Vets First — ~$10B/year in VA contracts go through this preference.
- Government-Wide SDVOSB Set-Aside — Every federal agency has an SDVOSB goal (3% of prime contract dollars); SDVOSB set-asides are common across DoD, DHS, GSA, and civilian agencies.
- Sole-Source SDVOSB — Federal agencies can sole-source up to $4M (services) or $7M (manufacturing) to a verified SDVOSB.
First-contract strategy
Two-step certification matters: (1) SBA's VetCert (the new unified veteran-business certification, replacing the old VOSB/SDVOSB programs in 2023) — this is the gatekeeper for set-asides government-wide. (2) For VA-specific work, VA's older SDVOSB verification still has nuance — the VA's Vets First processes prioritize VA-verified firms even though VetCert is now the federal-wide standard. Start by targeting VA medical-center facility services, IT services for VHA, and DoD construction-services BPAs that frequently use SDVOSB set-asides. Avoid pursuing 'rent-a-vet' arrangements where a veteran lends their name to a non-veteran-controlled firm — SBA enforcement on ownership-and-control is aggressive.
Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Veteran firms commonly try to compete on government-wide opportunities before pursuing VA-specific work — VA's Vets First gives massive preference to SDVOSBs, and most successful veteran-owned firms build their first $5-10M of past performance via VA contracts before competing more broadly. Another mistake: assuming VetCert is a one-time certification — it requires annual recertification, and ownership-and-control reviews catch firms whose actual operations have drifted from the certification.
Related audience guides
Always verify in the official source. NAICS lists, set-aside thresholds, certification requirements, and program details change. The authoritative sources are SBA.gov, SAM.gov, and the agency NOFO/solicitation itself. This page is editorial reference, not an official SBA notice.