Indiana MBE/WBE Certification: Status and What to Do

What happened

On July 14, 2026, Governor Braun signed Executive Order 26-17, "Suspending Operations of the Supplier Diversity Program and the Creation of the Indiana Small Business Program." The order says: "The Supplier Diversity Program is suspended, effective immediately. This suspension shall include IDOA's administration of certification activities." It also says "No new certifications or recertifications shall be issued." The same order created the Indiana Small Business Program inside IDOA and set October 1, 2026 as the deadline for its policies. Veteran certifications were left in place.

On October 1, 2026, Governor Braun announced the launch of the Indiana Small Business Program, run by IDOA as an expansion of Buy Indiana (per WBIW). Race- and sex-based preferences in the old program were eliminated after an opinion from Attorney General Todd Rokita (per WBIW). To qualify, a business needs no more than $10 million in average annual gross receipts over the last two years and at least one Indiana tie: registered as a domestic business with the Indiana Secretary of State, most of its payroll paid to Indiana residents, most of its workforce Indiana residents, or significant capital investment in Indiana (per WBIW).

What it means for your bids

• Indiana is not issuing or renewing MBE or WBE certifications, and MBE/WBE preferences are gone.
• Qualifying Indiana small businesses can earn Buy Indiana preference on state bids under the new program (per WBIW; the scoring details were not posted on an IDOA page we could reach).
• New state solicitations drop MBE/WBE commitments. The order tells IDOA to "remove supplier diversity commitment references for solicitations issued as of the date of this suspension."
• Solicitations that were under evaluation on July 14 "shall be amended, reissued, or rescored" as IDOA decides. The order does not apply to preliminary awards or contracts already in negotiation on that date.
• Existing state contracts with MBE or WBE participation commitments "shall remain in full force and effect." If you are on one, the contract terms still apply.
• Indiana Veteran Owned Business certification and its preference points are not affected.

What to do now

1. Check the IDOA Division of Supplier Diversity page for updates: https://www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe/
2. Check whether your business meets the $10 million receipts limit and one of the Indiana ties above. IDOA's site has the program information and application instructions (per WBIW); the Buy Indiana page did not mention the new program yet on October 5, 2026: https://www.in.gov/idoa/procurement/supplier-resource-center/programs-and-preferences/buy-indiana/
3. Read the participation section of each new state bid. Do not assume an MBE/WBE section is still there.
4. If you are named on an existing contract's participation plan, keep doing the work and keep your records. Those commitments stay in force.
5. Keep copies of your certificate, any expiration or suspension notice, and your contract participation records.
6. Read the order itself: https://www.in.gov/gov/newsroom/executive-orders/ (EO 26-17).

Watch out for

• The launch is confirmed by news reports, but the IDOA pages we could reach on October 5, 2026 did not yet describe the new program. Follow IDOA's instructions when they post them.
• Some IDOA pages still describe MBE/WBE certification as if nothing changed. The executive order controls.
• The suspension covers state procurement. Cities, counties and federal programs (like the federal DBE program) run their own certifications.
• Help from IDOA is free.
• This is an executive order, so a later order, law or court ruling could change it.

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Sources

• www.wbiw.com/2026/10/01/governor-mike-braun-launches-indiana-small-business-progra
• www.in.gov/idoa/procurement/supplier-resource-center/programs-and-preferences/bu
• www.in.gov/gov/newsroom/executive-orders/
• indianacitizen.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/executive-order.pdf
• www.faegredrinker.com/en/insights/publications/2026/8/indiana-suspends-statutory-supplier-d
• www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe/

FindMyBids isn't affiliated with any certifying agency, and this isn't legal advice. Status can change quickly with court orders and new laws, so confirm with the program office before you rely on it.