Veterans' Program

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The Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act provides veteran-owned small businesses access to federal surplus personal property. Items frequently available include boats, vehicles, computers/electrical equipment, clothing/personal items, construction equipment, industrial/trade machinery, furniture, industrial/trade machines. In addition to the information on this program below, WV Surplus has created a brochure overviewing this program. To view this brochure, click here. A printable version of this document can also be accessed here. Printing Instructions: This is a two-sided document and should be printed on the short-end.

Eligibility

Veteran-owned small businesses must be registered and verified through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be eligible to receive surplus property through the federal government. The Veteran First Verification Program will confirm that applying individuals are:

• a veteran (served active duty, reservists/National Guard, service-disabled),
• own at least 51% of the business, and
• have control over the day-to-day management of the business.

    

Enrollment

To participate in this program, veterans must complete WV Surplus’ Application for Eligibility for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses. Before WV Surplus can approve the application, veterans will need to be registered with and verified through the U.S. Small Business Administration. Veterans can apply with the Small Business Administration at veterans.certify.sba.gov. Please note that WV Surplus has no control of this certification process which can take six weeks to three months to complete.
 

Screening for Federal Property

After submitting an Application for Eligibility, veterans will be issued a unique user ID and login for the U.S. General Services Administration’s federal surplus website, http://gsaxcess.gov. Upon logging in, vendors may search for property using a variety of factors, including the type of property, the state in which the property resides, keywords, and more. Once a veteran has identified property in which he or she is interested, the veteran must contact WV Surplus with the item control number to request the property. All federal property is offered on an “as is, where is” basis, and it is the responsibility of the veteran for the pickup and transport of the property from its current location.

Program Cost

There is no cost to enroll in this program. However, WV Surplus is required to charge a service fee to cover the administrative expenses incurred to secure the property, as well as transportation and warehousing costs, when applicable.

Compliance Requirements

Federal surplus property with an acquisition cost of less than $5,000 must be put into use within one year of acquisition and used for a minimum of one year. Property with an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more, as well as all passenger motor vehicles, must be used for at least 18 months. Title to the property remains with the federal government until the compliance period is over. Personal use of this property is strictly prohibited during the compliance period, and compliance audits or reports may be required.