By Matt Van Wagenen, Idaho APEX State Director
This week, the SBA officially launched their new Small Business Search (SBS) tool which replaces the former Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) function. The DSBS is now retired after an impressive 15 year run as the SBA’s primary small business search tool. The SBS site can be accessed through a new link: https://search.certifications.sba.gov. The former DSBS link now redirects to the SBS site.
The new Small Business Search features a new, modern interface and enhanced search functionality for finding small businesses engaged in federal government contracting.
The new Small Business Search features a new, modern interface
The redesigned SBS includes a new search bar which allows users to search by business name, UEI, CAGE code, among others and is an enhancement over the former functionality of the “Searching for a specific profile” form controls in DSBS. This expanded search functionality is more user-friendly and tries to account for variations and misspelled words to return more relevant results than a former DSBS search.
SBS also features a new filtering format that allows users to drill down on key categories: location, certifications, NAICS, keywords, business type, and a drop down with others like bonding levels, etc. While most of these options existed in DSBS, the improved layout and redesign will make tasks like conducting market research much more intuitive.
Easy to navigate filtering options allow for greater search accuracy
Also of note, the SBS makes search result manipulation more flexible. Users can edit the columns for their search results table and export results easier through two links at the top of the results table. Users can drill into their search results via a new “Market Insights” link which provides a results breakdown by certification program, business type, and self-certification status along with the ability to see/download a list of companies in each subset. These helpful features will allow for greater flexibility and insight during market research.
Business owners are encouraged to log in to the new SBS site and ensure their business profile is complete and accurate. The SBS site still requires business owners to log in and claim your business. There is still some additional functionality that needs to be ironed out, mainly adding in information not found in SAM.gov and ensuring your business profile is available in SBS even if it is not publicly available in SAM.gov. Business owners can access the Small Business Search Help Guide page for more information on the new search functionality, creating an account, claiming/updating your business profile and other topics.
Like DSBS before it, the SBS is one of the best resources for small businesses to be seen by federal contracting officers and is a powerful tool for market research and competitive intelligence. Please reach out to our Idaho APEX Accelerator team for help navigating the new Small Business Search tool and updating your SBA profile. We are happy to share how to leverage this powerful tool for contracting success!
