Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program

About this programme

The Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program limits competition for certain federal contracts to businesses certified as women-owned small businesses, in industries where the SBA has found women-owned firms are underrepresented in federal contracting. It is run by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

A business qualifies as a WOSB if it is at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens, and if women manage its day-to-day operations and make its long-term decisions. A subset of the program, Economically Disadvantaged WOSB (EDWOSB), adds financial thresholds on the owners' net worth, income, and personal assets, and unlocks a wider set of contracting opportunities.

The program works by authorizing federal contracting officers to set aside specific contracts, in specific NAICS-coded industries, for competition only among certified WOSBs or EDWOSBs — and, above a certain size, to award contracts directly (sole-source) to a single certified firm without full competition.

Certification is required before a firm can be awarded a contract under a WOSB or EDWOSB set-aside; it does not apply to private-sector or state/local contracts, only federal ones.

How it works

Not every federal contract can be set aside for WOSBs — only those in NAICS-coded industries the SBA has identified as ones where women-owned businesses are underrepresented in federal contracting. A contracting officer must confirm the NAICS code for a given requirement is on SBA's eligible-industry list before setting it aside.

Set-aside contracts: a contracting officer can set aside a contract for competition only among certified WOSBs/EDWOSBs when there is a reasonable expectation that at least two responsible, certified firms will submit offers at a fair market price.

Sole-source contracts: within eligible industries, a contracting officer can award a contract directly to one certified WOSB or EDWOSB, without competition, when a Justification and Approval is completed and there isn't a reasonable expectation that two or more certified firms would submit competitive offers. The government estimate for a sole-source award cannot exceed $8.5 million for manufacturing requirements or $5.5 million for all other (non-manufacturing) requirements.

Contracts at or below the simplified acquisition threshold of $250,000 are automatically set aside for small businesses generally, and can be set aside specifically for WOSB/EDWOSB participation where eligibility criteria are met.

The federal government has a government-wide goal of awarding 5% of federal prime contracting dollars to women-owned small businesses each year — the WOSB program is one of the tools agencies use toward that goal.

Who can apply

The business must be at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens. Ownership alone is not enough — women must also manage day-to-day operations and make the firm's long-term decisions.

The business must meet SBA's small-business size standard for its primary NAICS code — size standards vary by industry (revenue-based or employee-based, depending on the industry).

To qualify as an Economically Disadvantaged WOSB (EDWOSB), which opens a wider set of set-aside and sole-source opportunities, each disadvantaged owner must additionally have a personal net worth of less than $850,000 (funds in an official retirement account are excluded from this figure), an adjusted gross income of $400,000 or less averaged over the previous three years, and $6.5 million or less in personal assets.

Certification and continued eligibility apply only to federal contracting — a WOSB set-aside or sole-source award cannot be pursued without the firm being certified through SBA's system first.

How to apply

1. Confirm the business meets the ownership, control, size, and (for EDWOSB) economic-disadvantage requirements before applying.
2. Gather supporting documentation: corporate/formation records, ownership and control evidence, proof of U.S. citizenship for the qualifying women owners, and — for EDWOSB — personal and business financial records including signed federal tax returns and bank statements. SBA publishes the current minimum document list inside the certification portal itself.
3. Apply for certification through SBA's certification portal at certifications.sba.gov (the successor to the earlier certify.sba.gov system).
4. Alternatively, obtain third-party certification (TPC) from one of SBA's four approved certifying organizations — El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, National Women Business Owners Corporation, U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce, or Women's Business Enterprise National Council — then upload proof of citizenship and the TPC certification into SBA Certifications before bidding on set-aside contracts.
5. Once certified, maintain an up-to-date SAM.gov registration (required to be eligible for any federal contract award) and keep the firm's profile current in SBA Certifications.
6. Maintain certification over time: SBA re-examines a firm's eligibility every three years, and self-certified firms on a contract running past five years (with options) must complete the current certification process before the end of the fifth year.

Documents you’ll typically need

• Corporate/business formation records (articles of incorporation, operating agreement, bylaws, etc.)
• Documentation demonstrating the qualifying women's ownership percentage and management/control of the business
• Proof of U.S. citizenship for each woman owner relied on for eligibility
• For EDWOSB: signed federal personal and business tax returns
• For EDWOSB: personal and business bank statements and other financial records supporting net worth, income, and asset figures
• Active SAM.gov registration

Frequently asked

Reviewed 2026-08-16. Programmes change — confirm current eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with any government authority.