LongBeach.biz The business intelligence desk for Long Beach, CA.

LBSBE, Port SBE and DBE: Which Long Beach Certification Counts Where, What Each Costs and How Long It Lasts

Checked against the city's pages: October 2026 By Dana Castellano 8 min read

Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash

On this page

In brief

The City counts only its own Long Beach Small Business Enterprise (LBSBE) certification toward contract goals; the Port accepts its own SBE/VSBE certificate or a current state DGS Small Business or Microbusiness certificate, with no bid preference; federal DBE work needs a firm reevaluated under rules issued October 3, 2025.

  • City: certification is “required regardless of state/federal SBE status to count toward contractual goals”; the Labor Compliance Division confirms or denies “within 48 hours”14.
  • Port: SBE/VSBE is free, valid 3 years, reviewed “within five business days”, and open to firms anywhere in the United States8.
  • State DGS: “There is no fee for any of the State of California’s certifications”; valid “Up to 2 years”11.
  • DBE: firms that are not certified “are not eligible to participate in the DBE program” until Caltrans approves their reevaluation materials12.

A small firm selling in Long Beach meets several certifications, and each buyer honors a different subset. This page sorts them by issuer, cost, term and where they count. The route that puts them to use, from registration to award, is in Selling to the City of Long Beach and the Port. Everything below is as of October 2026.

The short answer

If you are… Do this
A firm that wants to count toward a City contract’s small-business goal Certify as an LBSBE through Long Beach Buys; a state or federal certificate does not substitute14
A firm selling to the Port Apply for the Port’s SBE/VSBE in the PlanetBids vendor profile, or hold a current DGS Small Business or Microbusiness certificate8
A disabled-veteran-owned firm DVBE is a state certification through DGS; the City’s SBE and local-preference pages name no DVBE preference1015
Doing federally funded work at the Port, Long Beach Airport or Long Beach Transit DBE or ACDBE, issued by a California Unified Certification Program (CUCP) member1214
Comparison of four Long Beach certifications: the City's LBSBE, the Port's SBE and VSBE, the state DGS Small Business and Microbusiness certificate, and the Caltrans DBE; for each, who issues it, what it costs, how long it lasts, and whether it counts toward City or Port goals.
Who issues each certification, what it costs, how long it lasts and where it counts toward goals. Port and state terms as of October 2026; the City pages state no fee or term.

The City's LBSBE, VSBE and LSBE

The City’s program rests on ordinance ORD-11-0010, adopted June 7, 201123. It sets a combined goal for each project, met only by firms certified through the City: “Certification required regardless of state/federal SBE status to count toward contractual goals”1.

Three labels sit under the program2:

  • SBE follows SBA size standards by NAICS code, for a for-profit firm that is “independently owned and operated” with its “Principal office located in California”. The 2022 instructions add “100 or fewer employees … or an average annual gross receipts of $15 million or less, over the last three tax years, unless a larger threshold is provided in the SBA Table”2.
  • VSBE follows the state micro-business rule: “if gross annual receipts are $5,000,000 or less or the small business is a manufacturer with 25 or fewer employees”2.
  • LSBE is an SBE with a current City business license and a seller’s permit showing a place of business in the city25.

To certify, “you must register and obtain SBE certification through the City’s online bid management system”5. A pre-qualification tab appears during registration, the system returns a preliminary result, and “a representative from the Labor Compliance Division will be in contact to confirm or deny certification within 48 hours”4. The City “is no longer certifying or re-certifying vendors over PlanetBids”, though unexpired PlanetBids certifications still earn goal credit, and no certificate is printed2. The pages quoted here state no fee and no renewal period.

The City’s list of certified firms, dated January 12, 2026, runs 46 pages and roughly 1,460 entries, many with addresses outside Long Beach7. A prime that is not certified itself must meet the goal using “at least two of the following three certification types” or document good faith efforts, scored at “70 out of a possible 100 points”2. The 2011 ordinance excludes federal DBE projects and Tidelands-funded work3.

The Port's SBE and VSBE

The Port’s program is simpler and free8:

  • Where and who: in the PlanetBids vendor profile; the Port “uses the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) size standards” by NAICS code, for a for-profit business entity.
  • VSBE: a manufacturer with “an average of 25 or fewer employees over the past three years” or a non-manufacturer with “average annual gross revenue of $5 million or less over the past three years”, “automatically assigned after your SBE certification is approved”.
  • Review and term: “within five business days”; valid 3 years, with a reminder about 30 days before expiry; renewal is by “Re-apply”.
  • Location: “Businesses do not need to be located in Long Beach to qualify.”

The Port reports $54.4 million to certified small businesses last year against a 27 percent participation goal8. The registration steps are in Port of Long Beach Vendor Registration.

State DGS Small Business, Microbusiness and DVBE

The California Department of General Services (DGS) certifies through Cal eProcure10. A Small Business needs a principal office in California and “one hundred (100) or fewer employees, and annual gross receipts of nineteen million dollars ($19,000,000) or less as averaged for the previous three (3) tax years”; a microbusiness has receipts of $6,000,000 or less or is a manufacturer with 25 or fewer employees10.

The DGS FAQ dated April 24, 2026 gives the cost and term: “There is no fee for any of the State of California’s certifications”, valid “Up to 2 years”11. DGS lists a 5 percent bid preference on applicable State solicitations10.

A DVBE is “at least 51 percent owned by one or more disabled veterans”, daily operations managed and controlled by them, with a service-connected disability of at least 10 percent10. In Long Beach, the Port accepts DGS Small Business and Microbusiness certificates8. Neither the City nor the Port states that a DGS certificate substitutes for an LBSBE, and the City requires certification “through the City’s online bid management system”5.

Official pages disagree DGS states $19,000,000 for a small business and $6,000,000 for a microbusiness10. The City’s 2022 LBSBE instructions still read $15 million, and $5,000,000 for VSBE, and the Port’s VSBE reads $5 million28. The City’s text adds “unless a larger threshold is provided in the SBA Table”2. Each agency’s own figure governs its own program.

Caltrans DBE and its reevaluation

DBE and its airport counterpart ACDBE apply to work funded in part by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Port’s program runs under Caltrans rules, with a liaison at (562) 283-7566 or [email protected]9.

On October 3, 2025 a federal interim final rule “eliminates all race- and sex-based presumptions of disadvantage and replaces them with a strictly individualized determination standard”13. Caltrans says firms must resubmit with a “Personal Narrative and a Personal Net Worth Statement”, and “Firms that are not certified are not eligible to participate in the DBE program until Caltrans receives and approves their reevaluation materials”12. The Caltrans page is undated.

Official pages disagree The City’s compliance page says “Effective October 3, 2025 the DBE programed [sic] is paused”6. Long Beach Transit’s page says “The California Unified Certification Program (CUCP) has completed the required reevaluation process. Accordingly, LBT is resuming its DBE program”; the CUCP certifiers are Caltrans, LA Metro and the City of Los Angeles14. The Long Beach Transit page is undated, so the pages do not show which is newer. The cautious reading is that each buyer follows its own page and each solicitation states whether a DBE goal applies.

HUBZone and the APEX Accelerator

The SBA’s HUBZone program is for federal contracts. A firm must be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, with its “principal office … located in a HUBZone” and “at least 35% of its employees … living in a HUBZone”; certified firms get “a 10% price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions” and recertify every three years15. The SBA’s map is an interactive application, and this page names no Long Beach address as qualifying.

The Los Angeles County APEX Accelerator is “operated by DEO”, the County’s Department of Economic Opportunity, and “funded in part through an agreement with the Department of Defense”16. Its address is 4716 East Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Building B, Los Angeles, CA 90022, phone (844) 432-4900, and its service area is Los Angeles County1716. The pages cited list no Long Beach location. The City’s Inclusive Business Navigators offer “complimentary coaching and technical assistance”, and the BizCare line is 562-570-4BIZ (4249); the Port refers vendors to PACE Business518.

How they stack

Buyer or fund What counts What it earns
City, general fund and most local money LBSBE (with VSBE and LSBE tiers) Goal credit when a prime lists you12
City, local preference A City business license and seller’s permit with a place of business in the city; not a certification A preference on quotes, bids and proposals; see How City of Long Beach Bidding Works5
Port Port SBE/VSBE, or a current DGS Small Business or Microbusiness certificate Participation goals; no bid preference8
Federally funded work (Port, Airport, Long Beach Transit) DBE or ACDBE through CUCP Separate federal goals, under reevaluation1214

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a state DGS Small Business certificate enough to count toward City of Long Beach goals?

No. The City’s page says certification is required “regardless of state/federal SBE status” to count toward contractual goals1.

Does Port SBE or VSBE certification give a bid preference?

No. The Port says it “does not guarantee contract awards or provide bid preferences or price reductions”8.

How much does certification cost and how long does it last?

Port SBE/VSBE is free and lasts 3 years8; DGS certification has no fee and lasts up to 2 years11.

Do I have to be located in Long Beach to hold a Port SBE?

No. The Port says businesses “do not need to be located in Long Beach to qualify”8.

Is the DBE program running?

It is under reevaluation: the City’s page says its program is paused, and Long Beach Transit’s says it is resuming614.

Sources

  1. Small Business Enterprises — City of Long Beach, Financial Management. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  2. LBSBE Program Participation Instructions (Rev. May 2022) — City of Long Beach. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  3. Ordinance ORD-11-0010 and Exhibit A — City of Long Beach. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  4. Long Beach Buys Small Business Enterprise Certification guide — City of Long Beach, Purchasing. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  5. Local and Small Business Assistance — City of Long Beach, Purchasing Division. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  6. Compliance — City of Long Beach, Purchasing Division. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  7. LBSBE Certified Businesses, as of 1/12/2026 — City of Long Beach. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  8. SBE/VSBE Program — Port of Long Beach, Port Partners. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  9. DBE Program — Port of Long Beach, Port Partners. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  10. Apply for or Re-apply as Small Business / DVBE — California Department of General Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  11. Certification General FAQs (April 24, 2026) — California Department of General Services. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  12. DBE Certification & Reevaluation — California Department of Transportation. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  13. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) — California Department of Transportation, Local Assistance. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  14. Doing Business with LBT — Long Beach Transit. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  15. HUBZone Program — U.S. Small Business Administration. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  16. Office of Small Business and APEX Accelerator — Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  17. Los Angeles County APEX Accelerator HQ — National Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers. Accessed 2026-10-02.
  18. Compete with Confidence — Port of Long Beach, Port Partners. Accessed 2026-10-02.