WOSB CERTIFICATION

WOSB Certification

Everything you need to know about WOSB Certification for women-owned businesses

WBBC Certifications

The WBBC is one of three organizations that are approved as a third-party certifier for the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) Federal Contracting Program. All of our services are designed so that you can make the best decisions possible for your business, from the very beginning

Program benefits

To help provide a level playing field for women business owners, the government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses that participate in the WOSB Federal Contracting Program.

These contracts are for specific industries where women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) are underrepresented. Some contracts are restricted further to economically disadvantaged women-owned small businesses (EDWOSBs). The SBA maintains a list of those eligible industries and their NAICS codes.

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.

Program eligibility requirements

  • Be a small business
  • Be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens
  • Have women manage day-to-day operations and also make long-term decisions
  • 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

 

Personal net worth standards for economically disadvantaged individuals have been aligned between the 8(a) Business Development Program and the WOSB Federal Contracting Program. EDWOSBs and 8(a) Business Development Program participants have the same personal net worth threshold, and funds invested in an official retirement account are excluded from the assessment of an economically disadvantaged individual’s personal net worth in both programs.

 

SBA continues to accept a current, valid 8(a) certification. Firms must provide their most recent annual review letter or acceptance letter if in their first year through beta.certify.sba.gov.

SBA also allows participation from firms certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Verification and Evaluations (CVE), provided they meet all eligibility requirements. Firms must provide their CVE certificate and supporting documentation through beta.certify.sba.gov.

The eligibility requirements to qualify as a WOSB or an EDWOSB are fully defined in Title 13 Part 127 Subpart B of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Firms can also get a preliminary assessment of whether they qualify at SBA’s beta.certify.sba.gov website.

WOSB Federal Contracting Program Assistance

The Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting Program has multiple avenues to receive assistance. The SBA offers a variety of resource partners to assist small businesses. Firms can also use the SBA Local Assistance tool to contact their local SBA regional and district office or Women’s Business Center.

In addition, the beta.certify.sba.gov knowledge base is a valuable resource for firms to get started learning about this new platform with how-to videos, user guides, and more!f

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Get certified as a women-owned small business

Before firms can compete for WOSB Federal Contracting Program set-aside contracts, they must apply for certification through the new process on beta.certify.sba.gov or go through an approved TPC. Both methods will require that firms use the beta.certify.sba.gov website. For more information about the new application process, please review the following beta.certify.sba.gov fact sheet.

The new beta.certify.sba.gov website makes it easy for firms to understand the changes to the certification process to ensure they remain eligible.

On the website, firms can:

  • Access checklists that provide guidance prior to applying
  • Explore your company’s eligibility
  • Find answers to questions regarding your firm’s eligibility in the program
  • Request information from SBA program experts
  • Create an account and proceed with your application (Note: When you create an account, you will be automatically directed to a new screen to access login.gov. This is a secure platform for creating new account logins.) 

Firms will need to update their certification information through both the Dynamic Small Business Search database and beta.certify.sba.gov once a year to maintain their status with the WOSB Federal Contracting Program.

As of October 15, 2020, the previous self-certification option on the old certify.sba.gov platform is no longer available. Firms must complete the new certification process on beta.certify.sba.gov to compete for WOSB Federal Contracting Program set-aside contracts. All documents previously uploaded in certify.sba.gov for WOSB and EDWOSB self-certifications will be available through March 31, 2021 for retrieval.

If you are currently self-certified with active contracts, you will remain certified for the duration of existing contracts. For the purposes of contracts (including multiple award contracts) with durations of more than five years (including options), a self-certified firm must get certified by SBA or an approved TPC prior to the end of the fifth year of the contract.