Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB & EDWOSB)
Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB & EDWOSB)
The federal government’s goal is to award 5% of all federal contracts to women-owned small businesses annually. These contracts are for industries when woman-owned businesses are underrepresented.
In order to qualify for sole source or set aside opportunities, the entity must qualify under one of the NAIC’s codes from the SBA list in the link provided below. Additionally, to be eligible for the women’s contracting program, the business must:
- Be a small business
• Be at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens
• Have women manage day-to-day operations and also make long-term decisions.
To qualify as an economically disadvantaged business within the women’s contracting program, the business must:
- Meet all the requirements of the women’s contracting program
• Be owned and controlled by one or more women, each with a personal net worth less than $750,000
• Be owned and controlled by one or more women, each with $350,000 or less in adjusted gross income averaged over the previous three years
• Be owned and controlled by one or more women, each $6 million or less in personal assets
The SBA certification process for WOSBs and EDWOSBs changed in 2020. Businesses can use SBA’s free online certification process at https://wosb.certify.sba.gov/ or obtain certification through SBA’s approved Third-Party Certifiers. (Note Third-Party Certifiers will charge for the certification.) WPI staff provides free assistance to walk through the SBA’s free on-line certification.
Need help becoming certified? Contact your WPI counselor OR if your business is located in a specific region, contact the WPI staff listed here:
SE WI – contact our Milwaukee office at 414-270-3600.
Central and SW WI – contact Kim Garber at KimG@wispro.org 608-444-0047.
Northern WI – contact Mark Dennis at MarkD@wispro.org (608) 427-2083.
Learn more about Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program at www.sba.gov.
View applicable NAICs codes for the WOSB and EDWOSB programs.
Notice of Updated NAICS Codes for Use in the Women Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is updating the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes authorized for use in the Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program (WOSB Program). This update is being made to reflect the U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) NAICS revision for 2022, identified as NAICS 2022. The designations of industries contained in this notice apply to all solicitations issued on or after October 1, 2022. To read more, click here. [November 2022]
For additional information on this topic, please contact our staff of experts at apexaccelerator@wispro.org or 414-270-3600.
