Categories and Certifications
Guidelines to be Considered a Diverse Business
Below are the diverse business classifications available in the United States. Your organization must match one or more of these classifications and be certified by a third party organization as diverse. UPS strongly encourages diverse businesses to pursue certification through one or more certifying agencies. Certification gives UPS assurance that businesses claiming a diverse status actually meets the business ownership and management thresholds. In the US, certification is required in order to be considered a diverse business at UPS. For the diverse businesses, each agency offers an array of information, services and other benefits.
Multiple non-profit and governmental agencies offer diverse business certifications. The agencies listed below are preferred.
Guidelines to be Considered a Small Business
UPS is also committed to providing opportunities for qualified small businesses to become suppliers. When small businesses grow they drive the economic engine that benefits us all, and often small businesses are best prepared to provide the responsiveness, agility and innovation we seek.
If your business meets the size or revenue criteria established for your industry by the US Small Business Administration (SBA), it can be considered small. Look up the size standard for your business here. You may be surprised how large your business can be and still meet the SBA guidelines.
UPS also seeks to work with businesses that are a part of various small business programs and categories (e.g. HUB Zone, 8(a), Small Disadvantaged Businesses, Women-owned Small Businesses, Veteran-owned Small Businesses, Service-disabled Veteran-owned Small Businesses, etc.).
If your business might qualify as a small business, it is worth a minute to look it up and let us know when you register in our supplier portal.