SBA Small Business Search, the DSBS replacement.

The SBA Small Business Search (SBS) at search.certifications.sba.gov is the public-facing search interface for federal small-business vendors. It replaced the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) when SBA retired the legacy system in summer 2025. The legacy dsbs.sba.gov hostname now 301-redirects to the new system, so old bookmarks still resolve but every guide written before the migration points at the wrong URL pattern.

SBS sits inside the broader certifications.sba.gov ecosystem that SBA built to consolidate the four set-aside certification programs into a single portal. The /search subdomain is read-only; the parent domain is where contractors apply for and manage their certifications via MySBA Certifications. The two systems share a data model: the certification record a contractor maintains in MySBA is what surfaces in SBS profiles.

SBS

SBA Small Business Search. Public-facing read-only directory of federal small-business vendors at search.certifications.sba.gov.

DSBS

Dynamic Small Business Search. SBA's legacy small-business directory at dsbs.sba.gov. Retired in summer 2025; URL now redirects to SBS.

MySBA Certifications

The contractor-facing application and management portal at certifications.sba.gov. Where 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB / EDWOSB, and VOSB / SDVOSB certifications are filed and renewed.

SBA Connect

The entity update / capability statement tool. Edits paused June 20, 2025 ahead of the SBS migration. Contractors update their SBS-visible profile through the new MySBA-aligned workflow.

The migration was more than a rename. SBA used the cutover to align the small-business directory with the post-2022 federal identifier model (UEI primary, DUNS retired) and with the consolidated MySBA Certifications portal. Several DSBS-era patterns no longer apply.

URL change

dsbs.sba.gov → search.certifications.sba.gov. The legacy URL still resolves through a 301 redirect; existing inbound links work but new content should reference the new URL.

Identifier alignment

SBS leads with UEI for primary lookups. DUNS is gone (retired April 4, 2022). CAGE remains as a secondary identifier and works for exact-match search.

Certification source of truth

In DSBS, certifications were a flat list field. In SBS, they reference back to the MySBA Certifications record. A vendor whose certification expires in MySBA loses the certification flag in SBS.

Capability statement workflow

The SBS profile carries a capability statement and a "what we sell" narrative. Contractors maintain these through the post-migration workflow, not through the legacy SBA Connect tool whose edit functions paused on June 20, 2025.

SBS supports a pattern most procurement officers know from earlier SBA tools: a filter sidebar plus a free-text search box. The filters worth knowing:

UEI

Unique Entity Identifier. The 12-character alphanumeric SAM.gov assigns. Best single-vendor search; exact match.

CAGE code

Five-character DLA-assigned identifier. Exact match. NCAGE for foreign vendors works the same way.

Legal business name

Full-text search. Use the legal name from SAM.gov, not the trade or marketing name. Partial-match results are returned.

NAICS code

Six-digit industry classification. Filter by primary or secondary NAICS. Useful for sourcing; less useful for diligence on a known vendor.

Set-aside certification

Filter by 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, EDWOSB, VOSB, SDVOSB. The certification flag in SBS reflects the current MySBA Certifications record; expired certifications drop off the filter.

Location

State, city, zip code. Useful for HUBZone-context sourcing and for buyers with geographic-preference requirements.

Active in SAM

Filter for vendors whose SAM.gov registration is currently active. Always apply this filter for any award-related search; an SBS profile alone does not guarantee a current SAM.gov registration.

An SBS profile is structured to support both sourcing (buyer looks for vendors who do X) and verification (buyer confirms a known vendor is who they claim to be). The fields fall into four groups.

Identity block

Legal business name, UEI, CAGE, primary address, websites, contact information. Pulled from SAM.gov where the vendor maintains the canonical record.

Industry block

Primary NAICS, secondary NAICS, PSC codes the vendor self-selects. The NAICS list drives whether the vendor shows up in NAICS-filtered searches.

Certification block

Active SBA certifications: 8(a) BD, HUBZone, WOSB / EDWOSB, VOSB / SDVOSB. Each entry references the MySBA Certifications record. An expired certification drops off; a pending certification does not surface.

Capability block

Capability statement narrative, products, services, certifications beyond SBA (ISO, CMMC, etc. as text). Self-maintained; verify against primary sources before relying.

For the regulatory side of what each set-aside certification means and how to verify each one against the canonical MySBA record, see SBA certification verification. For the NAICS code and SBA size standard pairing that determines small-business eligibility in the first place, see NAICS code and SBA size standard lookup.

Three upstream systems feed SBS, and the precedence order matters when a profile shows conflicting information.

SAM.gov

Identity (legal name, UEI, CAGE, address) and active-registration flag. SAM.gov is the upstream source of truth; if SAM and SBS disagree, SAM wins.

MySBA Certifications

Set-aside certification status (8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB). MySBA is the upstream source of truth for certifications; a stale SBS certification flag should be reconciled against MySBA.

Vendor self-maintenance

Capability statement, NAICS / PSC selection, contact metadata. Self-reported; treat as a starting point, not as a verified record.

SBS sits in the "discovery" half of pre-award diligence. The "verification" half lives in SAM.gov, MySBA, and the rest of the FAR 9.105 information sources. The defensible workflow uses SBS for what it is good at and routes the verification questions to the systems built for them.

1. Discovery (SBS)

Use SBS to find candidate vendors that match a NAICS code, a set-aside requirement, or a geographic preference. SBS is the right tool for "who can do X" questions.

2. Identity verification (SAM.gov)

For each candidate, confirm the SAM.gov record exists, is active, and matches the SBS identity block. See the SAM.gov check page for what counts as confirmed identity.

3. Set-aside verification (MySBA Certifications)

For any award that depends on a set-aside, confirm the certification status in MySBA. SBS shows the flag; MySBA is where the canonical record lives. Verify before award.

4. Responsibility evidence (FAR 9.104 sources)

Run the rest of the FAR 9.105 information-sources sweep: FAPIIS, SAM exclusions, DOL, OSHA, USAspending, Section 889. SBS does not replace any of these. See the FAR 9.104 responsibility determination guide for the full evidence map.

• Citing dsbs.sba.gov in new content. The redirect works, but search engines and AI extractors are now indexing the new URL pattern. Fresh content should cite search.certifications.sba.gov.
• Treating an SBS profile as proof of an active SAM.gov registration. SBS profiles can persist for vendors whose SAM.gov registration has lapsed. Always confirm SAM.gov directly before any award.
• Trusting the SBS set-aside flag without MySBA confirmation. The flag reflects the current MySBA record but lag can occur between MySBA status changes and SBS visibility. Verify against MySBA Certifications for any award decision.
• Searching by trade name instead of legal name. SBS legal-name search is a partial-match against the SAM.gov legal name field. Trade names typically do not return the right vendor.
• Using the SBS capability statement as verified content. Capability statements are self-maintained and are not verified by SBA. Treat the capability statement as marketing copy: useful for screening, not for award-decision basis.
• Skipping the FAR 9.104 evidence sweep because the vendor looks small-and-friendly. SBS is one input in the FAR 9.105 source pool. The CO still has to make the affirmative responsibility finding under FAR 9.103(b) based on the full evidence pool. See FAR 9.104 responsibility determination.

Where DiligenceDesk fits: the orchestrator runs the SAM.gov, FAPIIS, exclusion, DOL, OSHA, USAspending, Section 889, and CSL checks that sit alongside SBS in pre-award diligence. SBS itself is a discovery surface; the rest of the evidence pool is what supports the award decision.