What is WOSB? If you want a lucrative federal contract you should know

The US Government spends about $429 billion each year on everything from toothpicks to spaceships; cleaning services to training services. It’s estimated that 60% of government purchases are for services and 40% for products. And here’s some good news for your bottom line – the government makes “micro purchases” under $25,000 via purchasing card (similar to a credit card); low bid is not a requirement to award a contract; there are contracts specifically set aside for small businesses and women.

WOSB is The Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program, a contract set-aside program for you, women-owned and economically disadvantaged women-owned businesses. Here is the Fact Sheet from Small Business Administration:

The Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program provides equal access to federal contracting opportunities for women-owned small businesses (WOSB) and economically disadvantaged women-owned small businesses (EDWOSBs). The program allows contracting officers to set aside specific federal contracts for WOSBs and EDWOSBs.

General Program Details
The WOSB Program became effective in the Federal Acquisition Regulation on April 1, 2011 – and the WOSB Program Repository has been available since February 4, 2011. SBA has and will continue to hold a number of training and outreach events to help small businesses and the federal procurement communities understand the program and its requirements, as well as provide detailed information on the SBA website. The goal is for WOSBs and EDWOSBs to be ready to compete for contracts awarded in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, which is when the largest percent of small business contracts are awarded.

To be an eligible WOSB, a company must:
• Be a small business that is at least 51% percent unconditionally and directly owned and controlled by one or more women who are United States citizens.
• Have a woman manage the day-to-day operations, make long-term decisions for the business, hold the highest officer position in the business and work at the business full-time during normal working hours.

To be an eligible EDWOSB, a company must:

• Be a WOSB that is at least 51% owned by one or more women who are “economically disadvantaged”.
• Have an economically disadvantaged woman manage the day-to-day operations, make long-term decisions for the business, hold the highest officer position in the business and work at the business full-time during normal working hours. A woman is presumed economically disadvantaged if she has a personal net worth of less than $750,000 (with some exclusions), her adjusted gross yearly income averaged over the three years preceding the certification less than $350,000, and the fair market value of all her assets is less than $6 million.

Please note that for both WOSB and EDWOSB, the 51% ownership must be unconditional and direct.

Certification:
To participate in the Program, a WOSB or EDWOSB must meet the eligibility requirements and either 1) self-certify their business OR (2) be certified by an SBA-approved Third-Party Certifier.

All WOSBs and EDWOSBs must register their status in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), as well as upload required documents to the WOSB Program Repository. CCR and ORCA have been updated to allow WOSBs and EDWOSBs to register and certify. The WOSB Program Repository has been available since February 4th.

Third‐Party Certification: A third party certifier is a national certifying entity approved by the Administrator that may engage in the certification process for the WOSB Program. At this time, no third party certifiers have been approved by SBA. SBA is currently in the process of reviewing applications for third party certifiers. We will post the names of the approved third party certifiers on www.sba.gov/wosb.

SBA will accept certifications by SBA of 8(a) BD Participants as long as the 8(a) BD Participant is 51% owned and controlled by one or more women and the business is currently in the BD program. However, a certified 8(a) BD Participant still needs to submit their 8(a) certification and WOSB certification to the WOSB Program Repository.

Contracting Details:
Eligible Industry Codes: There are over 300 6-digit North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) codes that are eligible for Federal contracting under the WOSB Program.

Contracting officers may set aside a requirement for WOSBs if:
• The NAICS code is in an industry in which SBA has designated that WOSBs are substantially underrepresented.
• The contracting officer has a reasonable expectation that two or more WOSBs will submit offers.
• The anticipated award price of the contract does not exceed $6.5 million in the case of manufacturing contracts and $4 million in the case of all other contracts.
• The contracting officer believes the contract can be awarded at a fair and reasonable price.
Contracting officers may set aside a requirement for EDWOSBs if:
• The NAICS code is in an industry in which SBA has designated that WOSBs are underrepresented.
• The contracting officer has a reasonable expectation that two or more EDWOSBs will submit offers.
• The anticipated award price of the contract does not exceed $6.5 million in the case of manufacturing contracts and $4 million in the case of all other contracts.
• In the estimation of the contracting officer, the contract can be awarded at a fair and reasonable price. **For more information, please read the WOSB Federal Contract program regulations in the Federal Register and the Compliance Guide for the WOSB Federal Contract Program at http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/files/WOSB%20Compliance%20Guide_April2011.pdf. Additional information can also be obtained by visiting the WOSB Federal Contract Program web page at www.sba.gov/wosb.

Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) can help you identify potential government customers and learn how to approach them. PTAC is a specialty center of the SBDC Network and provides free consulting and low cost technical assistance to help businesses sell to the government. To find the PTAC near you visit http://www.aptac-us.org/new/Govt_Contracting/find.php.

This is the first of a series of Moxie posts on federal contracting opportunities. Coming soon: Developing Relationships with Federal Buyers and Creating a Responsive Bid

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1. SBA’s Final Rule Increases Size Standards, Expands Eligibility for Small Business Programs
2. RFSQ: Architectural and Engineering Services
3. RFSQ: Architectural and Engineering Services for Rickenbacker International