Broward County Federal Small Business Element for Concessions (FSBEC) Certification

 
Broward County has implemented a Federal Small Business Element for Concessions (FSBEC) as an ACDBE-neutral means of promoting participation under its Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) Program Plan. The FSBEC does not consider race or sex as requirements for certification. It is designed to facilitate competition by small businesses in Broward County concession opportunities, at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), ​as stipulated by the regulations governing the federal ACDBE program (49 CFR Part 23).

Firms recognized by Broward County as FSBEC-certified will be listed in its Certified Firm Directory, within the County's Business Management System (BMS), powered by B2Gnow – https://broward.gob2g.com. The FSBEC certification application is also available on the BMS portal.

Eligibility Requirements:
 
To be considered eligible to participate under this program, firms must meet the following criteria:

  • Majority owners must be legal residents and citizens of the Unites States of America.

  • Firm must be a small business as defined by the federal Small Business Administration (SBA)[1] under 13 CFR 121.201.

 
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/chapter-I/part-121/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFRf12a11421b08a31/section-121.201.
 

    • Be a for-profit business of any legal structure

    • Be independently owned and operated

    • Not be nationally dominant in its field

    • Be physically located and operate in the U.S. or its territories

  • Small business size standards under the FSBEC program are consistent with 49 CFR 23.33.​​

  • Personal Net Worth (PNW): The FSBEC PNW cap is equal to that of the federal ACDBE Program, which is currently $2.047 million (excluding personal residence and ownership interest in the company).

 
(The ACDBE PNW cap may be subject to adjustment, by the Secretary of USDOT, every three years to account for inflation - https://www.transportation.gov/DBEPNW.)
 

  • Gross Receipts: Gross receipts of the firm and its affiliates, calculated in accordance with 13 CFR 121.104, averaged over the firm's previous five fiscal years, must not exceed $56.42 million. Different size standards apply to banks and financial institutions, passenger car rental companies, pay telephones, and new car dealers as detailed under 49 CFR 23.33(b).

 

The following strategies will be used to foster FSBEC participation.

  1. Broward County will identify alternative concession contracting approaches to facilitate the ability of small businesses, including ACDBEs, to compete for and obtain direct leasing opportunities. These small businesses will be afforded the opportunity to engage in short-term leases for pop-up locations (i.e. kiosks), at FLL. These short-term leases will be for a duration of 12 to 24 months. To aid in their success, Broward County will provide each of these small business concerns with an orientation on requirements of which they should be aware when operating their leased spaces in an airport, the participation and reporting requirements under 49 CFR §23.26, and ongoing support throughout the term of their lease.

  2. Additionally, for larger concession opportunities, with terms greater than 24 months, Broward County will require vendors responding to solicitations for goods and services, subject to the requirements of the ACDBE Program, to specify elements of their proposal that are of a size that FSBECs and firms certified under the ACDBE Program can reasonably perform.

New FSBEC Applications
 
Mandatory Support Documents (to be uploaded in BMS)
 

  • Signed FSBEC Affidavit for qualifying owner(s)

  • Personal Net Worth Statement

  • Personal federal tax returns for the past 3 years

  • Corporate federal, signed, tax returns filed by the firm and its affiliates with all schedules, for the past 5 years (and requests for extensions as applicable)

  • Proof of previous certification(s)

  • Documented proof of any transfers of assets to/from your firm and/or to/from any of its owners over the past 2 years

  • Documented proof of contributions used to acquire ownership for each owner or notarized letter

  • Proof of legal U.S. residency/ citizenship status

 
Required Support Documents (to be uploaded to BMS)

  • Professional licenses as applicable

 
The following documents are required according to business structure:

Partnership or Joint Venture

  • Original and any amended Partnership or Joint Venture Agreements.


Corporation or LLC

  • Official Articles of Incorporation (signed by the state official).

  • Both sides of all corporate stock certificates and your firm's stock transfer ledger.

  • Shareholders' Agreement(s).

  • Minutes of all stockholders and board of directors meetings.

  • Corporate by-laws and any amendments.

  • Corporate bank resolution and bank signature cards.

  • Official Certificate of Formation and Operating Agreement with any amendments (for LLCs).

 
 
Online Application – How to Apply
 
As of January 26, 2026, small business certification applications and renewals will be accepted through the new Broward County Business Management System (BMS). Please visit the BMS to set up your BMS vendor profile and to apply for certification.

APPLY NOW!​

 

What's Next?

Upon submitting your certification application, the next step is to become a registered vendor with Broward County in BPRO, Broward County's new Electronic Procurement System . Register to access all current Broward County solicitations and systems. The process is free! To learn more, visit the Purchasing Division website.

 
Continuing Eligibility Under the FSBEC Program

On an annual basis, firms certified by Broward County must demonstrate their continued eligibility to remain certified under the FSBEC program. Within 30 days of their anniversary date, which is the month and day on which they were initially certified under the program, the following documents must be uploaded in the BMS - https://broward.gob2g.com.

  1. Completed FSBEC Continuing Eligibility Affidavit

  2. Completed Personal Net Worth Statement

  3. Personal federal tax returns for the past 3 years

  4. Federal signed tax returns filed by the firm and its affiliates with all schedules, for the past 5 years (and requests for extensions as applicable)

  5. Additional required documentation/updated information (as applicable) – e.g., new corporate lease agreement, renewed professional licenses, change in company ownership, change in contact information, etc.)

 

For more information about the FSBEC Program, please contact us at (954) 357-6400.



[1] For information on SBA size standards, visit: http://www.sba.gov/content/determining-size-standards. (13 C.F.R. Part 121.103.)
 

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