Tag Archives: WOSB certifications

Event: Small Business Contracting Update & 2021 Preview

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Fiscal Year 2020 is officially in the books. For small businesses in government contracting, it was a year of major changes–and many more changes are on their way in FY 2021.

On November 18, please join me (virtually) for “Small Business Contracting Update & 2021 Predictions,” sponsored by the National Contract Management Association, Boston Chapter. I’ll cover the biggest changes in FY 2020, from the HUBZone Program overhaul to WOSB certification to increases in the 8(a) Program economic thresholds. Then I’ll dust off my crystal ball and predict what’s on the way in FY 2021, including the long-awaited changes to the limitations on subcontracting and a revamping of the rules governing debriefings.

It’s easy to register: just click here. I hope to see you for this great pre-Thanksgiving event!

Newsflash: The Final Rule Implementing SBA Certification for WOSBs Is Here!

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Update 5/14/2020: Since this post was originally published, SBA’s website has clarified when SBA Certification will be available and when Self-Certification will end. The post has been updated to reflect this information.

On Monday, the Small Business Administration will publish a Final Rule updating the certification methods for businesses applying for and participating in the Women-Owned Small Business program. The new Rule will also impose new thresholds for demonstrating economic disadvantage, impacting applicants not only for the WOSB program, but also the 8(a) Business Development program.

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This Just In! SBA Provides Updates on WOSB Certification Changes

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Last May, we reported on proposed changes to the SBA’s Women Owned Small Business Program Certification Process. Now, the SBA’s website includes updated information about what those changes may mean for existing and new WOSBs.

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Breaking News: SBA (Finally!) Proposes Regulation Extinguishing WOSB Self-Certification

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In a move bringing to mind Etta James’ most popular refrain, SBA has proposed an amendment to its regulations which will require Woman-Owned Small Business program participants to be certified by the SBA or an SBA approved third-party certifier.

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GAO Highlights SBA Oversight Issues with WOSB Certification and Lack of Use of WOSB Set-Asides

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This is our second blog on GAO’s recent report on SBA’s management of the Woman-Owned Small Business program. Here is our initial post.

In the report, GAO analyzes SBA’s oversight of the current certification program, and reports on its study of why contracting officers don’t use the WOSB set-asides as much as one might think.

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GAO to SBA: Please Address “Ongoing Oversight Issues” for the WOSB Program

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GAO recently issued a report on several ongoing issues with SBA’s management of the Woman-Owned Small Business program. Because of the number of issues in the report, we’ll summarize it in a few posts.

In this post, we’ll provide some background on GAO’s review of the WOSB program and address how (and whether) SBA has implemented the changes required in the WOSB program by the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act. Long story short, SBA has still not done all Congress has asked of it in the 2015 NDAA, particularly with regard to eliminating WOSB self-certification.

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The Mysterious Case of the Missing SBA Women-Owned Small Business Certification Program

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On December 19, 2014, then-President Obama signed the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act into law.  The 2015 NDAA eliminated the statutory basis for federal agencies to award women-owned small business set-aside contracts to self-certified companies.  In essence, then, the 2015 NDAA effectively eliminated WOSB self-certification.

Flash forward almost four years, and the SBA has not yet implemented a WOSB certification program.  In fact, the SBA hasn’t even proposed rules to implement such a program.  Instead, although the SBA continues to license a few third-party certifiers, the SBA also continues to say that WOSBs “can self-certify directly at certify.sba.gov by answering questions and uploading documents.”

So where the heck is the mysteriously missing SBA WOSB certification program?  And is it even legal for the SBA to continue allowing WOSB self-certification?

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