At AFORGE, we put forth significant effort and focus on enhancing our support to mission. The foundation of Government Contracting is compliance, which is measured and reflected via certifications and qualifications. We are proud recipients of several that add value to our organization, our teammates, and to our customer base. If you are looking for a qualified and certified partner, look no further. For those not familiar with AFORGE certifications and qualifications, or, the meaning of and importance of these certifications and qualifications, we have provided a synopsis below.
SBA-Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)
To be certified as an SDVOSB, the business must be at least 51% owned and controlled by a service-disabled veteran, and that ownership must be real, backed by day-to-day decision-making authority, leadership control, and full operational oversight.
AFORGE worked through the Veterans Administration and now the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) rigorous vetting process to prove all requirements were met to include interviews, documentation reviews, and site visits. You are tested on whether you’re truly running the business, and not just lending your name to a shell company. This is no insignificant issue for the SBA. Small business status claims are one of the highest incidences of fraud in federal government contracting and a main focus on SBAs efforts to add standardization and rigor to their certification process.
This certification unlocks access to federal SDVOSB set-aside contracts. If you’re a prime, it helps meet your subcontracting goals and supports your small business utilization targets. If you’re a federal buyer, it means you can award to us directly (in some cases without a lengthy competition) because we meet statutory preference rules.
ISO 9001:2015 – Quality Management System
Achieving ISO 9001 certified requires a full audit of your internal processes from quoting and scheduling to delivery and customer feedback. An organization must have in place documented management control procedures, a consistent approach to managing risks, and a full cycle of continuous improvement. You must maintain these standards by passing an annual audit.
We brought in a third-party registrar, opened our books, walked them through how we manage projects, and showed them that we operate with traceable accountability at every
step. Every step is documents and tracible and consistency of operations from one project to the next is ensured Our operations follow a mature, proven framework to eliminate or minimize surprises, errors, and establish high standard of quality across everything from manufacturing to system development. ISO 9001 is a certification that provides peace of mind to partners and teammates and customers.
CMMC Level 2 Compliance – Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification
CMMC is the Department of Defense efforts to standardize management of cybersecurity. To meet Level 2 certification, a company needs to demonstrate adherence to 110 security controls aligned with NIST SP 800-171. That means access controls, incident response plans, system backups, encryption protocols, and user authentication processes.
CMMC L2 certification is a large mountain to climb. The Defense Industrial Base is struggling with the need to attain Level 2 certification as directed by imminent regulation and the cost in time, effort, and dollars to achieve certification via third party audit. L2 certification demands extensive process and management documentation of procedures, implementation of new policies, establishing and conducting regular internal audits, and the very real need to bring in outside consultants to validate our readiness. CMMC L2 preparation takes months of precious time, especially for small businesses with lean G&A staffing, preparation and investment, not to mention the need to invest in, train in, and implement additional tools for policy adherence and the most disruptive of all for a small lean business is the change to culture and operations.
AFORGE is mid-stream L2 Audit at the release of this blog with certification receipt expected mid-August 2025. If your project involves Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), you need a partner who already meets DoD cybersecurity standards, consider partnering with AFORGE. You don’t have to pause your mission to wait for your vendor to catch up to compliance…we’re already there!
ITAR Registered – International Traffic in Arms Regulations
ITAR registration means AFORGE is approved by the U.S. State Department to handle defense-related data, components, and manufacturing. The process starts with registration but continues with regular audits and strict control over who has access to our technical data.
We have strict protocols in place to ensure that only authorized U.S. persons handle sensitive defense information. This includes restricted access to servers, physical security,
encryption, and documented workflows for how we receive and transmit data. Mistakes in ITAR can lead to major legal penalties, and potential damage to national security, which we take very seriously.
If you’re working on anything tied to the U.S. Munitions List (aircraft components, weapons systems, or even technical drawings) you need an ITAR-compliant partner.
Facility Clearance
The chicken and the egg scenario for small businesses. A small business needs a facility clearance to get a classified contract, but you need a Bonafide need via a classified contract to receive a facility clearance. This one takes time, extensive coordination via sponsorship, and federal approval through a very extensive vetting process. Our physical location required specific federal security standards compliance, including access control, secure storage, classified communications capability, and employee training and clearance verification.
We maintain our clearance actively, with regular inspections and personnel management protocols in place to stay compliant. We’re cleared at the highest level thus partnering with AFORGE on cleared contract work is the ‘easy-button.”
GIDEP Participant – Government-Industry Data Exchange Program
Being a part of GIDEP means we share and receive alerts on part failures, supply chain disruptions, and reliability data from across the government and defense ecosystem. It’s a voluntary program, but we joined because it keeps us and our partners ahead of the curve.
When a part becomes obsolete or a supplier faces risk, we know early. That lets us adjust designs, update sourcing plans, or warn you before it becomes a problem. This ensures we stay proactive instead of reactive.
What It All Means for You:
Earning and maintaining these certifications takes persistent effort and isn’t easy- it requires investment, infrastructure, and discipline, and we do it because we take pride in being a value-added company both to our industry and government partners- and we believe your mission deserves a partner who’s prepared!
When you see those certifications on our capabilities statement, know that they represent real work. And when you partner with us, they become YOUR advantage since everything we’ve built is designed to make your job easier, your process faster, and your mission stronger.
For partnership information please contact BD@AFORGE.US.
