Here are answers to the questions women business owners ask most often.

 

1. How do I certify my business as woman-owned?

The federal government does not require certification as a woman-owned small business. However, certification can be helpful in winning other types of contracts. For federal procurement, you may self-certify in the Central Contractor Registration. In addition, there are two private national women's business organizations that certify qualified women-owned businesses:

  • The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) offers certification for women-owned businesses, administered through fourteen regional affiliates. Certification is accepted by more than 700 national corporations, as well as state and local government agencies.
  • The National Women's Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC) is another private certification organization. NWBOC has launched a national certification program for women-owned and controlled businesses as an alternative to the multiple state and local certifications required by many public and private-sector agencies or prime contractors. More than 100 major corporations, agencies, and organizations accept NWBOC certification.
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2. What are the criteria for classification as a small business?

Central Contractor Registration defines small business criteria as follows:

A small business is one that:

  1. is organized for profit;
  2. has a place of business in the United States;
  3. makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy by paying taxes or using American products, materials or labor; and
  4. does not exceed the numerical size standard for its industry.

The business may be a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or any other legal form.

Central Contractor Registration has aligned its classification standard with the official classification from Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA has a size standard for all private sector industries in the U.S. economy, using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to identify the industries.

Size standards (usually stated in number of employees or average annual receipts) represent the largest size that a business (including its subsidiaries and affiliates) may be to remain classified as a small business for SBA's programs and for federal contracting programs.

For the most current information on the small business size standard for a variety of industry groups, check the CCR Web site.
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3. What federal certification programs are available for women-owned businesses, and how can they help me win federal contracts?

Although women-owned businesses are not required to obtain third-party certification to do business with the federal government as a women-owned business, there are several other federal certification programs for which some women-owned business may qualify. These include:

The 8(a) Business Development Program
The 8(a) Program was the first and perhaps best known of the SBA's contracting-related certification programs. This nine-year program provides business development assistance to all its participants. Participants may also compete for federal contracts reserved for the 8(a) program through sole source or limited competition awards. Each year, millions of dollars in 8(a) contracts are awarded to program participants.

Today’s 8(a) Business Development Program is strengthened and improved to be a truly effective business development vehicle. New regulations permit 8(a) companies to form beneficial teaming partnerships and allow federal agencies to streamline the contracting process.

Nearly every SBA district office has regularly scheduled presentations about applying to and benefits of the 8(a) program. For more information, call SBA's Answer Desk at 1-800-827-5722.

The Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) Program
While the 8(a) Program offers a broad scope of assistance to socially and economically disadvantaged firms, SDB certification strictly pertains to benefits in federal procurement. 8(a) firms automatically qualify for SDB certification.

SBA certifies SDBs to make them eligible for special bidding benefits. Evaluation credits available to prime contractors boost subcontracting opportunities for SDBs. The SBA provides the gateway to opportunity for small contractors and subcontractors.

HUBZone Empowerment Contracting Program
This new program allows small firms located in many urban or rural areas to qualify for sole-source and other types of federal contract benefits. HUBZone stands for "historically underutilized business zone." For more information on eligibility requirements and benefits of the HUBZone program, or to determine if a company is located in an eligible area, see the HUBZone fact sheet.

The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)
The Department of Transportation's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program is intended to ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of DOT-assisted contracts in the Department's highway, transit, airport, and highway safety financial assistance programs. Eligible women- and minority-owned firms can be certified as DBEs by contacting their state or local Department of Transportation. 

To learn more about this program and how to apply, visit the DBE site or phone 202-366-4754 or 202-366-4070.
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4. Where can I find more information on how a woman-owned business can do business with the federal government?

FirstGov
FirstGov is an easy-to-search Web site that gives you centralized information from U.S. local, state, and federal government agency Web sites. FirstGov also offers a powerful search engine and an index of Web-accessible government information and services to help you find what you need.

My Biz for Women
The SBA, with the cooperation of the National Women’s Business Council, offers MY BIZ for Women, a new Web portal designed for the woman entrepreneur. This site links you to business information and assistance throughout the federal government. You’ll find information on training, counseling, technical assistance, regulatory issues, contracting opportunities, taxes or any other business concern.

Business.gov
The SBA recently unveiled a new Internet gateway to help small businesses find, understand and comply with laws and regulations. This site offers several innovative, interactive features that allow businesses to complete online transactions with federal, state, and local governments.

Visit the "Key Resources" page on this Web site for links to additional sources of information.
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5. Where is the nearest Women’s Business Center?

Women’s Business Centers are a national network of more than 100 educational resource centers designed to assist women start and grow small businesses.  Women’s Business Centers operate with the mission to level the playing field for women entrepreneurs.

You’ll find information about them on the following Web sites:

6. Does the federal government offer any mentoring or joint venturing programs?

Yes. The SBA, Department of Defense, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration have mentoring programs and conferences:

7. What are the historical federal contracting trends for women-owned small businesses?

In 1994, the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) was established, setting a goal for federal agencies to award at least 5% of all prime and subcontract dollars to women-owned small businesses (WOSBs). Despite continued growth in the number and economic impact of women-owned firms, the 5% goal has never been achieved on a government-wide basis. Nonetheless, 3% of federal contract dollars were spent with women-owned businesses in FY2003 – the highest share achieved since this information has been recorded. Performance is even better for the number of actions awarded: nearly 600,000 contract actions were awarded to WOSBs in FY2003, which is more than double the 272,000 actions to WOSBs in FY2002. WOSBs garnered 5.3% of contract actions in 2003, up from 3.8% in 1999 and 3.4% in 2002.

To learn more about women-owned businesses and federal contracting, read Federal Contracting with Women-Owned Businesses, FY1998 to FY2003, and the tables that accompany it from the National Women's Business Council.

The SBA Web site outlines the statutory goals for contracting with women-owned businesses and provides data on them in the following Web sites:

8. Where should I go if I have additional questions?

For answers to additional questions, please check the SBA’s database of frequently-asked-questions or contact your local SBA district office.
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