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3x Your Federal Sales, Learn Our Strategy of Using a GSA Schedule Contracts to Triple Your WOSB’s Federal Sales

Select your industry below to reveal the average WOSB and EDWOSB sales for your industry as well as ED/WSOB + GSA Combination

Totals / Average

WOSB Average Sales this Industry   GSA Schedule Sales for a firm with an WOSB in this Industry   Synergy (Generally adding an WOSB to a GSA Creates More Sales than from the GSA Schedule Alone)   Synergy Ratio
WOSB Industry Grouping Total WOSB Federal Sales Number of WOSB Firms Average WOSB Sales   GSA Schedule Only Sales WOSB Firms Number of WOSB Firms w/ GSA Schedule Average WOSB Sales Directly from the GSA Schedule System   Total Federal Sales WOSB GSA Contract Holders Number of WOSB Firms w/ GSA Schedule Average Total WOSB Federal Sales for firms with a GSA Schedule   GSA Schedule Sales Advantage
EDWOSB Totals / Average 10,235,720,046 4,266 2,399,372   1,654,601,729 945 1,750,901   6,411,396,359 945 6,784,546   2.8
WOSB Totals / Average 15,915,184,286 14,468 1,360,416   3,767,315,971 2,510 1,500,923   3,767,315,971 2,510 4,257,372   3.1
Here is a simple way to help you navigate, identify opportunities that fit with your marketing strategy, and win the contract.

EDWOSB Essential Documentation Checklist

Navigate EDWOSB certification smoothly with our succinct checklist, ensuring all critical documents are prepared.

What is ED/WOSB Certification?

WOSB: Women-Owned Small Business

EDWOSB: Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business; WOSBs whose owner and/or manager claims economic disadvantage

EDWOSB is a subset of WOSB. As such, if you qualify as an EDWOSB, you automatically qualify as a WOSB.

2021 Data for ED/WOSB Firms

Federal Sales Number of Vendors Average Sales per Firm
WOSB $22,311,410,226 14,772 $1,510,385
EDWOSB $9,610,354,906 5,026 $1,912,127
WOSB JV $1,077,138,337 369 $2,919,074
EDWOSB JV $761,037,937 274 $2,777,510
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WOSB Certification Eligibility

Any ladies-owned commercial enterprise that applies for WBENC or WOSB Certification can also concurrently observe for WOSB certification via WBENC.

The applicant corporation should be "small" in its number one enterprise according with SBA's length requirements for that enterprise, as recognized in thirteen CFR 127. Please view the list of NAICS and their length requirements for verification.

The applicant corporation should be at the least fifty-one percent (51%) unconditionally and without delay owned and managed through one or extra ladies who're U.S. citizens. Management and day by day operation should be managed through one or extra of the ladies proprietors.

The ladies proprietors should make long-time period choices for the commercial enterprise.

One of the standards underneath should additionally be authentic for CORPORATIONS ONLY:

Women should make up a majority of the Board of Directors OR have a majority of the Board votes via weighted vote casting.

Women should make up 51% of the vote casting electricity, take a seat down at the Board AND have sufficient vote casting electricity to triumph over any supermajority requirement.

WBENC makes use of an element method to make certain that the applicant corporation meets the WBENC WOSB Standards. This will encompass a radical evaluation of the documentation offered and a website goes to interview with the lady owner/s.

Please evaluation the WOSB Ready web page as a useful resource for necessities related to the program.

WOSB / EDWOSB 2020 Update

Two key dates for current and potential WOSB / EDWOSB firms.

July 15, 2020: EDWOSB and WOSB firms can no longer self-certify with the SBA. From this point forward firms applying for the ED/WOSB certification must undergo the SBAs more robust process.

October 15, 2020: EDWOSB and WOSB firms that utilized the SBA's self-certification process must submit a new application to the SBA or have it submitted through a third party vendor.

Reason for this Change

The SBA, as a result of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), was required to remove the self-certify option for becoming EDWOSB or WOSB for small businesses owned and controlled by women.


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WOSB Requirements

To qualify as Women-owned, a business must be:

🗸 Considered "small" as defined by the relevant NAICS code

🗸 Be at least 51% directly owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. Citizens

EDWOSB In Addition to WOSB Requirements Above

🗸 To be deemed “Economically Disadvantaged”, owners must demonstrate economic disadvantage in accordance with the rule

WOSB Frequently Asked Questions

The Program provides government-owned procuring agencies a tool to help meet their WOSB contracting goal of 5% of prime contracting dollars being awarded to WOSBs. Additionally, restricting competition to qualified WOSBs and EDWOSBs increases their success to compete for and win federal contracts. (Note that WBENC will certify WOSBs, not EDWOSBs at this time.)
There are 38 four-digit North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) codes which equates to over 150 six-digit NAICS codes which WOSBs are eligible for Federal Contracting under the WOSB Program. Additionally, there are 45 four-digit North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) codes which equates to over 200 six-digit NAICS codes which EDWOSBs are eligible for Federal Contracting under the WOSB Program. WBENC is only providing certification for WOSBs at this time. To see what codes are eligible, please view the complete listing of the WOSB Program Applicable NAICS Codes spreadsheet.
The United States SBA is charged with implementing and administering the program. This means that United States SBA publishes regulations that provide framework for the program, develops and maintains the WOSB Program Repository, conducts eligibility examinations of WOSBs, reviews and makes decisions on protests, approves third party certifiers, conducts studies to determine eligible industries, and works with other Federal agencies in assisting WOSBs and EDWOSBs.

Sole-Source Authority Contracts

In order to make soul source award to WOSB or EDWOSB, the following conditions must be met:

  • Is the contract in WOSB/ EDWOSB eligible NAICS code?
  • Is the contract (including option) valued at $6.5 million or less for manufacturing contracts or $4 million or less for all other contracts?
  • Can the contract be awarded to the WOSB/EDWOSB at a fair and reasonable price?
  • In the determination of the contracting officer, is there a reasonable expectation that there is only one WOSB/EDWOSB that can perform?

Set-aside Contracts

WOSB EDWOSB
Industries NAICS code assigned to contract solicitation is in an industry in which WOSBs are substantially underrepresented (92 Industry Groups - 365 NAICS codes) NAICS codes assigned to contract solicitation is in an industry in which WOSBs are underrepresented (21 industries - 80 NAICS codes)
Rule of Two Contracting Officer has reasonable expectation that 2 or more
Award Price Contract must be awarded at fair market price

Why Obtain a WOSB Certification

The SBA/VA offers four main certifications that provide preference. They are the 8(a) / SDB Certification, HUBZone Certification, SDVOSB Verification and the ED/WOSB Certification. As you can see from the graph below that small businesses competing in the federal marketplace with certification have gone from 65% market share in 2008 to 83% market share in 2018. Therefore a small business attempting to get into federal contracting without a certification is facing an uphill battle.

The WOSB Certification has become an increasingly useful tool for firms attempting to break into the 8a certification program.

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