SBA Women-Owned Small Business Program (WOSB)

Contract Overview

ALEX – Alternative Experts, LLC (ALEX) is certified as a participant in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program. This program allows contracting officers to award a competitive WOSB set-aside contract if you have a reasonable expectation that at least two responsible WOSBs or EDWOSBs will submit offers and that the resulting contract can be awarded at a fair market price. It also allows contracting officers to award a sole-source WOSB contract if you don’t have a reasonable expectation that two or more qualified WOSBs or EDWOSBs will submit offers, determine that the qualified small business is responsible, and determine that the contract can be awarded at a fair price. The government estimate cannot exceed $6.5 million for manufacturing requirements or $4 million for all other requirements.

What is the purpose of the WOSB Program? The Federal government has both prime contracting and subcontracting goals for small businesses. More specifically, 23% of Federal prime contracts dollars shall be awarded to small businesses, with individual prime and subcontracting goals for certain identified small business groups. The Federal government must award 5% of its prime and subcontract dollars to women owned small businesses. In addition, each Federal agency negotiates annual small business goals with the Small Business Administration (SBA) that presents, for that agency, the maximum practicable opportunity for small businesses. The goal attained by the individual agency is then used to calculate the Government-wide small business goal, including the individual prime and subcontracting goals for the identified small business groups, such as women-owned small businesses.

What is the Benefit? One benefit of this program is to enable contracting officers to meet these goals mentioned above by specifically limiting, or setting aside, certain requirements for competition solely amongst WOSBs or EDWOSBs and ensure a level playing field on which such small businesses can compete for Federal contracting opportunities.

For more information about the SBA WOSB Program, please visit the Small Business Administration.