70% increase in eligible industries will expand contract opportunities for certified women owned businesses

As we wrap up National Women’s Month, let’s review the program designed to level the playing field for women business owners.  The government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses that participate in the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting program.  This program facilitates contracts for specific industries where WOSBs are underrepresented. Some contracts are restricted further to economically disadvantaged women-owned small businesses (EDWOSBs).

The U.S. Small Business Administration has published an updated list of eligible industries for the WOSB Federal Contracting Program (WOSB Program). Congress requires SBA to conduct a study every five years to identify industries in which small businesses owned and controlled by women are underrepresented in the federal marketplace.  Based on the recently commissioned study, the SBA is increasing the number of eligible industries from 444 to 759, an increase of 315 industries.

Joining the WOSB Federal Contracting Program makes a business eligible to compete for federal contracts set aside for the program. Firms can still compete for contract awards under other socio-economic programs they qualify for.

The list of eligible NAICS can be found at https://www.sba.gov/document/support--qualifying-naics-women-owned-small-business-federal-contracting-program

Congratulation to the top ten WOSB certified companies who won contracts in 2021. The number one WOSB was Tapestry Technologies!

Even though Department of Defense was third on the list of contracting dollars spent, behind Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration, they were, by far, the agency that awarded most dollars to WOSBs.

If you own a woman-owned business that is not wining government contracts, maybe it’s time for you to start getting your fair share of the dollars that are set-aside for you!

If you know any woman who are businesses owners, do them a favor and share this information with them.

Sources:

SBA.gov, USASpending.gov.

About the author:

Guy Burns, CSP, CCM is the Executive Vice President of Training and Business Development for the Government Contractors Association.