New Certification Process for Woman-Owned Small Businesses
The Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) Application Final Rule (the Final Rule) goes into effect on July 15, 2020, with some sections being postponed until October 15, 2020. Any company planning to apply for WOSB or EDWOSB set-aside government contracts should carefully understand this important Final Rule. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015, which was signed into law on December 19, 2014, contains Section 825, which is the source of the Final Rule (the FY 2015 NDAA). A WOSB or EDWOSB must be certified by a federal agency, a state government, the SBA, or a national certifying entity designated by the SBA to be awarded a contract set aside for the WOSB or EDWOSB application program, according to the FY 2015 NDAA, which amended the Small Business Act. The text implementing this amendment is found at 15 U.S.C. 637(m)(2)(E) in Section 8(m) of the Small Business Act. After the Government Accountabili