WBENC is the nation's leading third-party certifier of women's business enterprises (WBEs) for the private sector. In partnership with women's business organizations throughout the United States -- like the WBDC -- WBENC offers access to a national standard of certification and provides information on certified women's businesses to purchasing managers. It accomplishes this through its Internet database, WBENCLink. WBENC certification is recognized and accepted by the majority of major corporations across the U.S.A. State certification in most cases only applies to doing business with that state's government agencies. WBENC's certification is primarily for companies trying to expand sales into the corporate arena, but some government agencies also accept WBENC certification.

Visit the WBDC Corporate Partner and Government Partner section. Also, go to WBENC's site and click on Get Certified and Certification Benefits to view the complete list.

60-90 days from the point where WBDC has all of the information and documents needed for review.

Your application file is stored in a locked cabinet at all times, except when a member of our staff is working on the file. For further protection of your information, WBDC staff and committee members sign Confidentiality Disclosure statements whereby they agree your information is confidential, proprietary, and valuable to you as the applicant. Additionally, WBE committee members who are in a competitive industry never have access to your file, nor are they present during any discussion of your application

Your certification is valid for one year. If you wish to continue your certification, you must submit a renewal application each year. Naturally, the required documentation for the renewal application is less than that of the initial application.

Log unto http://www.wbenclink.org with your username and password. Once you're signed in, download your WBE certificate via HR (high-resolution) or LR (low-resolution) under the “WBE” tab on the left-hand side.