Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB)

Definition

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

The WOSB Federal Contracting Program is a key tool for meeting the governmentwide 5% WOSB goal. Certified WOSBs can compete in set-asides that systematically exclude much larger competitors. EDWOSB certification adds sole-source authority. For eligible firms, WOSB/EDWOSB certification is often the highest-leverage BD investment they can make, comparable to HUBZone or SDVOSB certification in terms of pipeline impact.

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.

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