Certifications are a special review process designed to ensure that a business is owned, controlled, and operated by applicants in categories that the city, county, or state is looking to do business with. Most local government offices give preference or set-aside contracts to minority owned business, women owned business, disabled veteran owned business, veteran owned business, or small business enterprises.
In other words, the government agency will score your business higher in its point’s evaluations when you have certification which may help you reach the winning bid for federal contracting even when the certified business may or may not have been the lowest bidder.