Los Angeles County CBE Program

The program summary on this page was last updated on 02/01/2023. If any of the information or links are out-of-date, please contact us.

The County of Los Angeles Office of Small Business has implemented a Community Business Enterprise (CBE) program to improve access to county contracts for minority, women, disadvantaged, LGBTQQ, and disabled veteran businesses. Certification as a CBE is free, but the county only certifies businesses as minority or women-owned. It recognizes, but does not certify, businesses certified as DBEs through the California Unified Certification Program, and LGBTQQ businesses as recognized through the NGLCC or through the Supplier Clearinghouse as authorized through the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Once certified as a CBE, a firm is added to the county's CBE listing, which is used by county procurement officials and prime contractors that need to meet their CBE subcontracting goals. The certification process is usually 30 days and certification is valid for two years.

Does this local/state program offer reciprocal certifications with other local/state programs? The CBE certification is particular to Los Angeles County, however, any business certified as a DVBE by the County of Los Angeles automatically is certified as a CBE. A business must already be registered as a DBE, DVBE, MBE, or WBE by the state of California to be certified as a CBE by Los Angeles County.

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