The United States Is Eliminating Inequality Based On Gender In The Federal Market

 The government of the United States is on the mission to eliminate gender equality in the federal market. Just like men can do business and make a position with their enterprises in the industry and government market, the government also wants to see businesswomen prosper in the government sector. It is not about suppressing one gender to glorify the other, instead, it is about giving equal rights, opportunities, and support to grow business and propose in the professional field. 

It is common to find businessmen dominating several industries and markets. Whereas it gets rare to see businesswomen hitting milestones. The government of the United States has set a clear to empower female business owners by developing government programs where they can participate. Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) is one such program of the government of the United States. By getting into this program women of the United States can get government contracting opportunities and other related perks. 

In order to become a participant of the WOSB, you will need to make your business meet the eligibility criteria by fulfilling certain requirements. In this blog, we are going to make you understand the importance of the WOSB program and how you can become a participant of it. By the end of this video, you will have a clear concept of the WOSB program and you will know about the preparations that you will need to make. 

Know about the WOSB program

The Women-Owned Small Business program is popularly known as the WOSB program of the United States. This program is run by the Small Business Administration (SBA) of the United States. By obtaining the WOSB designation for your business you will have greater access to specific government contracting opportunities. 

The government of the United States has set a goal to award at least 5% of all federal contracting capital to the women-owned small business each year through this WOSB program.

With the WOSB program, the U.S. government authorizes the contracting officers to limit the competition and provide set-aside contracts that are solely for women who own and controls small businesses in the United States. It is only applicable to the companies that want to do business by obtaining government contracts in the federal market. 

The purpose of the WOSB program 

It is tough for small businesses to compete with the established and larger entities in the federal market to obtain government contracts. As a result, a large number of small businesses fail to prosper. Businesswomen often get underrepresented in the federal market. The government has solved all these issues with the WOSB program. 

The federal government of the United States has set prime contracting and subcontracting goals for small businesses in the country. The government aims to award a certain percentage of the federal prime contracts capital to small businesses. The government provides a minimum of 5% of prime and subcontracts capital to women-owned small businesses. 

The government provides set-aside contracts and limits the completion for WOSBs to get them specific government contracts. By getting into this program the WOSBs get recognition in the federal market which helps them to expand their businesses in the federal market.  

Eligibility Criteria of the WOSB program 

The company of the applicant has to be small according to the standards of the Small Business Administration (SBA) for that particular industry. 

The company of the applicant must be owned and controlled at least 51% unconditionally and directly by one or more women. 

The business owner has to be female and must have citizenship of the United States. 

The businesswomen must make long-term decisions for the business.

To ensure that the applicant company meets the WBENC WOSB Standards, the WBENC uses a two-part process. It includes a review of the documentation presented and a site visit interview with the female of the business. 

The company of the applicant must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM). 

To complete the WOSB certification application you will need the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) issued by www.sam.gov 

  

How to get the WOSB certification 

Since 2020, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is no longer allowing businesses to choose and go through the process of self-certification. That is why there are now only two valid ways of obtaining the WOSB certification:

Add the WOSB to your WBE certification

Select the ‘yes’ option on question 1 of your WBE certification.

Or you can go through the recertification process to add on the WOSB.

Upload your active SAM.gov registration. 

Upload an additional supporting document, for example; the quarterly tax return of your business or the list of employees. 

Or, 

Apply directly with the SBA

Go to https://certify.sba.gov/

Fill out an additional application 

Upload the required documents for the WBE application that will be processed by the SBA.

You will need to be registered with the Small Business Administration (SBA). 

Conclusion 

So now you know about the value of the WOSB program for the businesswomen of the United States. It is your time to make your business meet the eligibility criteria and get into the WOSB program to gain competitive advantages.