FEDERAL · STATE · CORPORATE CONTRACTS

Decode the
contract.

Cipher Group gets Louisiana small and minority-owned businesses certified, registered and ready to bid on federal, state and corporate work. Capability statements, certification filings and bid response, done right the first time.

Book a free audit → See services
·HUDSON INITIATIVE
·LAMSDC · MBE
·WOSB · HUBZONE
·SBA 8(a)
·SAM.GOV REGISTRATION
THE OPPORTUNITY · BY THE NUMBERS
$183.5B
FEDERAL PRIME CONTRACTS
awarded to small businesses · FY24 SBA scorecard
$78.3B
SMALL DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS
federal prime dollars · FY24 SBA scorecard
10%
HUDSON INITIATIVE
of evaluation points available on Louisiana state RFPs
$350K
SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION
federal threshold for streamlined buys · FAR, Oct 2025
SERVICES

Four ways to put
the cipher to work.

01 · CAPABILITY

Capability statements

$497 to $2,000

A federal-grade one-pager that does not get tossed. Codes, certifications and past performance, every slot filled.

Read the playbook
02 · CERTIFICATION

Certification filings

$497 to $7,500

Hudson, LAMSDC, WOSB, HUBZone, 8(a). The right credentials for your business, filed in the order that pays off first.

See the ladder
03 · BID RESPONSE

RFP writing

$2,500 to $25,000

From RFP drop to submission. Compliant, persuasive, and on-time. Pink → red → gold team review on every bid.

Inspect the workflow
04 · ANNUAL RETAINER

Recurring engine

$5,000 to $15,000 / mo

Weekly bid digest, capability updates, certification maintenance, and bid writing on tap. The compounding option.

See the deliverables

Every minority-owned business deserves the cipher. We hold it. We give it to you.

MILTON ARCENEAUX · FOUNDER, CIPHER GROUP
Milton Arceneaux, founder of Cipher Group
Photo by James Wilson
THE FOUNDER

Milton Arceneaux.

A former operations executive at a national healthcare company, responsible for budgets, contracts and a team. A grant writer who has won a $25,000 #CreateLouisiana film grant and two competitive state grants. Every Cipher Group engagement begins with a conversation with him.

Grants won
$25,000 #CreateLouisiana · Louisiana Project Grant · ArtSpark Award
Public service
SWLCA Resilient Future Community Committee, a Tulane and NOAA climate project
Built
Encoded Noire · Creole Culture Day · REFRAMING Cinema · President, Vues de Culture
Read the full bio →
QUESTIONS

Straight answers.

Program rules as of October 2026. Sources: SBA, Louisiana Economic Development, FAR.

What does the free audit include?

A 30-minute working session. You leave with a certification gap map, a NAICS shortlist, notes on your current capability statement and a 90-day action plan, whether you hire us or not.

Do I qualify for the Hudson Initiative?

Hudson certifies Louisiana small entrepreneurships: fewer than 50 full-time employees, average annual gross receipts under $5 million ($10 million for construction), and owners domiciled in Louisiana. Certified firms can earn up to 10% of total evaluation points on state RFPs.

Is 8(a) still worth pursuing in 2026?

For some firms. In January 2026 SBA ended race-based presumptions of social disadvantage, so every applicant now proves it individually, and SBA admitted 65 new firms in 2025. The audit tells you plainly whether your file can hold up before you spend a year on it.

Can women-owned businesses still self-certify for WOSB?

No. Since 2020 WOSB and EDWOSB require SBA certification. We assemble the documentation and file it with you.

Do you only work in Louisiana?

We are based in Grand Coteau and know Louisiana procurement best: Hudson, LaPAC and LAMSDC. Federal work through SAM.gov is national, so federal clients can be anywhere in the U.S.

What does it cost?

Capability statements start at $497. Certification filings run $497 to $7,500 depending on the program. Bid response starts at $2,500. Retainers start at $5,000 a month. Every engagement gets a written proposal before work starts.

Decode the contract.

Book a free 30-minute audit. You leave with a deliverables-grade plan whether you hire us or not.

CERTIFICATION GAP MAP
NAICS SHORTLIST
CAPABILITY-STATEMENT REVIEW
90-DAY ACTION PLAN
Decode the contract. Free 30-min audit.
Book audit →