Glossary / Business
Women-Owned Small BusinessWOSB
A Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) is a small business at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens. The Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) subcategory requires the owner(s) to also meet specific economic-disadvantage criteria (net worth, AGI, asset thresholds). WOSB set-asides and sole-source awards are available in NAICS codes where women are substantially underrepresented or underrepresented, per SBA's designated NAICS list. SBA is the certifying authority; approved third-party certifiers also participate.
Why it matters to your pipeline
The WOSB Federal Contracting Program is a key tool for meeting the governmentwide 5% WOSB goal. Certified WOSBs can compete in set-asides closed to larger competitors, and both WOSBs and EDWOSBs can receive sole-source awards up to $5.5 million ($8.5 million for manufacturing) in eligible NAICS codes.
When this term shows up in an opening GovSmith finds for you, your vCM explains what it means for that pursuit and does whatever it calls for. You decide; we do the work.
Example
A 20-person WOSB wins a $4.8M EDWOSB sole-source award from DoW for IT modernization services. Without certification, the same scope would have gone to full-and-open competition where the firm's win probability would be dramatically lower.
Find out what applies to you
Some terms will matter to your business right away and some won’t for years. A vCM can tell you which are which.