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Keep It Simple
The MBE/WBE database will pull only those results that match your search criteria exactly . Unless you need to limit your search to a specific county or certification type, keep those fields blank. Likewise, keep your search terms simple. "Paint" works much better than "Painting" or "Painter" when searching for codes related to that field.
Too Many/Too Few Results
If you generate too many results using the online code search, you have used too general a word (i.e. it appears in the descriptions of too many codes). Try again, using a less common word to describe what you need. If you cannot find any codes for the description you have entered, try another word or even a partial word. For example, entering "surveyor" will not produce any results if the descriptive word is "surveying". By just entering "survey", you will cover all possibilities.
"Business Classification Code" and "Vendor Name" Fields
These two fields are mutually exclusive. When performing a search using either one of these fields, keep the other one blank.
"MBE/WBE" Field
This field lets you restrict your search by certification type: MBE, WBE, or MBE/WBE. Please note that selecting the "MBE/WBE" option will limit your search to only those companies certified as both MBE and WBE . To search all companies, MBE, WBE, and MBE/WBE, leave this field blank.
Complete Vendor List
You can download a list of all certified vendors by clicking the "All Vendor Data to Excel" button. Bear in mind, the list will not include vendor zip codes, code numbers, or code descriptions. Contact BMWBO for a list of companies if you have problems with this function.
Certification Numbers
The online MBE/WBE database will not show a certified company's Certification Number. The Certification Number is the date that the company's certification expires, starting with the two-digit year, plus the first eight characters of the company's name, including letters, numbers, symbols, and spaces. For example, XYZ Enterprises' certification expires on March 31, 2012; its certification number is 120331XYZ Ente.
Category Codes and Subcodes
The UNSPSC is a hierarchical classification with five levels (although BMWBO uses only four levels of classification). Each level in the hierarchy has its own unique number.
XX Segment
The logical aggregation of families for analytical purposes
XX Family
A commonly recognized group of inter-related commodity categories
XX Class
A group of commodities sharing common characteristics
XX Commodity
A group of substitutable products or services
XX Business Function
The function performed by an organization in support of the commodity (BMWBO does not use this classification level)
Example:
XX Segment
72000000 - Building Construction and Maintenance Services
XX Family
72100000 - Building construction and support and maintenance and repair services
XX Class
72101500 - Building support services
XX Commodity
72101501 - Handyman servIces
Companies providing all materials, supplies, or services within a category will have both the subcodes and category code in their certifications; all others will have subcodes only.
Searching Category Codes
You can search all subcodes within a category by entering the category code in the Business Classification Code field. Make sure "Yes" is selected following the question "Do you want a listing of the companies who are assigned the sub-codes that fall under this specific category?". You will find this just above the Vendor Name field. | 
