New SBA Program Aims to Increase Federal Contracting Opportunities for Women-Owned Small Businesses

New rules from the Small Business Administration (SBA) that went into effect on February 4, 2011 are designed to provide new opportunities for Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses (EDWOSBs).

The new regulations give Federal contracting officers the authority to set aside some contracts specifically for WOSBs or EDWOSBs, subject to a number of restrictions:

	WOSB Set Aside	EDWOSB Set Aside
Industries	NAICS code assigned to solicitation, IFB or quote is in an industry in which WOSBs are substantially underrepresented (38 4-digit NAICS designated)	NAICS code assigned to solicitation, IFB or quote is in an industry in which WOSBs are underrepresented (45 4-digit NAICS designated)
Rule of two	Contracting officer has reasonable expectation that 2 or more WOSBs will submit an offer * Note: All EDWOSBs are WOSBs	Contracting officer has reasonable expectation that 2 or more EDWOSBs will submit an offer * Note: Not all WOSBs are EDWOSBs
Award price	• Anticipated award price including options does not exceed the statutory thresholds of $5M for manufacturing or $3M for other contracts • Contract can be awarded at fair market price

(Source: http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/files/WOSB%20Training%20for%20WOSBs_v6.pdf)

More Information:  The Small Business Administration has a section of their site dedicated to the WOSB program at http://www.sba.gov/wosb, which includes several excellent resources, including:

• An introduction to the program (PDF) in the form of presentation slides that contains a good high-level overview, including eligibility requirements for WOSBs and EDWOSBs, getting certified as a WOSB or EDWOSB, and steps to participate and take advantage of the program

• A 3-page fact sheet (PDF) that gives an overview of the program, eligibility requirements, the certification process, and criteria for contracting officers to set aside a requirement

• A "Small Entity Compliance Guide" (PDF) that explains the program in more detail as it applies to potential WOSBs/EDWOSBs

• A "Contracting Officer's Guide" (PDF) that explains the program in more detail as it applies to federal contracting personnel

• The list of industries in which WOSBs are underrepresented and substantially underrepresented (PDF) by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code

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