In honor of Women’s History month, I thought it only fitting to devote today’s newsletter to the ladies.

Women business owners who wish to compete in the federal marketplace have the SBA’s Women-owned Small Business (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-owned Small Business (EDWOSB) Programs at their disposal.  These programs were designed to provide a level playing field where women owned small businesses can compete.  By specifically limiting, or setting aside, certain requirements for competition solely to WOSB’s or EDWOSB’s, the program does just that.  The federal government has a goal in place to award 23% of all federal prime contracting and subcontracting dollars to small businesses.  In addition, the federal government must award 5% of those same prime contracting and subcontracting dollars to women-owned small businesses.

The WOSB Programs focus on NAICS codes that have been historically underrepresented by women. Some of these industries include: residential construction; apparel accessories and apparel manufacturing; all types of equipment manufacturing; specialized freight trucking; lessors of real estate; professional services; facilities support services; and outpatient care centers.  The aforementioned are but a few of the 83 four-digit NAICS codes identified.  These translate into, literally, hundreds of businesses that are underrepresented by women.  

This summer, the certification process for WOSB’s and EDWOSB’s will incorporate the changes put forth by Congress in the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). These regulations are expected to be published on June 30, 2020 and will go into effect 30 days later. Once these changes take place, women owned businesses can no longer “self-certify” as WOSB or EDWOSB. One must certify either:

 Through an approved third-party entity 1

 Through SBA’s online certification process at certify.sba.gov

So, what are the next steps if you are a women-owned business and you want a piece of the action? Check out the link to the NAICS codes that have been underrepresented and/or substantially underrepresented by women 2 .  If you happen to be in one of those industries, research the steps to certify yourself as a WOSB or an EDWOSB.  The guidelines and stipulations can be found at the SBA’s website, so read them all carefully to ensure your business qualifies.  Once you’ve done that, contact us.  GCA has a ton of experience helping certified companies prepare themselves for the federal marketplace and find, bid on and win government contracts.

https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/women-owned-small-business-federal-contracting-program#section-header-6 – SBA approved third-party certifiers https://www.sba.gov/document/support--qualifying-naics-women-owned-small-business-federal-contracting-program - NAICS Codes applicable to the WOSB Program