SDVOSB Contracts: Find Service-Disabled Veteran Set-Asides

The federal government sets aside specific contracts for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) as part of its commitment to veteran entrepreneurs. When a contracting officer designates a procurement as an SDVOSB set-aside, only verified SDVOSBs can submit proposals — giving certified businesses an exclusive competitive lane away from the broader market.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has the most active SDVOSB program under the Veterans First Contracting Program, but SDVOSB set-asides appear across all federal agencies. The two SDVOSB mechanisms are competitive set-asides (multiple SDVOSB firms compete) and sole-source awards (no competition, contract awarded directly to one SDVOSB firm).

• SDVOSB set-asides are open only to verified service-disabled veteran-owned firms
• Sole-source SDVOSB threshold: $4.5M services, $7M manufacturing
• VA Veterans First Program adds additional SDVOSB preferences for VA work
• Verification through SBA VetCert is required for federal set-asides
• Must maintain small business size standards in the relevant NAICS code
• Both the owner and the business must meet eligibility requirements

To qualify as an SDVOSB, a business must be at least 51% owned and directly controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans. The veteran must have a service-connected disability rated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or Department of Defense (DoD). The veteran must manage day-to-day operations and make long-term strategic decisions for the business.

As of January 2023, federal SDVOSB set-aside eligibility requires verification through the SBA's Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) program. The application involves submitting documentation proving ownership, control, size standards, and veteran disability status. Processing times vary but typically take 60–90 days from a complete application.

SDVOSB set-aside contracts are published on SAM.gov with the set-aside code clearly labeled. You can find them by filtering SAM.gov's opportunity search by set-aside type "Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)" combined with your relevant NAICS codes.

For VA-specific work, VA-specific procurement portals may list additional opportunities, but the majority of SDVOSB opportunities government-wide appear on SAM.gov. Don't overlook Sources Sought notices — when an agency lists an upcoming acquisition as intended for SDVOSB, responding to the Sources Sought can establish your firm's visibility before the formal solicitation drops.

• SAM.gov: filter by SDVOSB set-aside type + your NAICS codes
• VA-specific: SDVOSB set-asides appear prominently for VA acquisitions
• Sources Sought: respond to establish visibility before formal RFPs
• USASpending.gov: research which agencies award SDVOSB contracts in your NAICS
• Small business offices: agency SBOs often know upcoming SDVOSB acquisitions
• BidLumen: automatic SDVOSB filtering and scoring against your profile

SDVOSB certification is a competitive advantage — but only if you build the relationships and pipeline positioning to activate it. The contractors who win the most SDVOSB work combine their certification with disciplined business development:

Target agencies with proven SDVOSB contracting history in your NAICS codes. Research USASpending.gov for the previous 3 years of SDVOSB awards in your space — which agencies, which contract types, which size ranges? Then build relationships with the contracting officers and program managers at those agencies before they release solicitations.

For VA work specifically, the Veterans First program means the VA is required to prioritize SDVOSBs before going to the broader market. A verified SDVOSB pursuing VA contracts has structural advantages that are worth investing serious BD time to capture.