About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

LOG IN
LOG IN


1 1 (April 12, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govefoq0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional ~.Research Service Update to Industries Eligible for the Women- Owned Small Business Contracting Program April 12, 2022 Introduction The Small Business Administration's (SBA's) Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting Program is designed to provide greater access to federal contracts for WOSBs, including a subset that are considered economically disadvantaged (EDWOSBs). The program aims to help federal agencies achieve their statutory goal of awarding 5% of federal contracting dollars to WOSBs. Only twice has the 5% federal procurement goal for WOSBs been met since it was authorized in 1994. The SBA updated its list of eligible industries for the program on March 18, 2022. The list of industries determines which WOSBs may receive set-aside (limited competition) and sole-source (noncompetitive) contracts from federal agencies. The SBA increased the number of eligible industries from 444 to 759, a 71% increase. By expanding the industries list, the SBA has significantly grown the number of small women-owned businesses and federal agencies able to use SBA's WOSB program. Under the WOSB program, federal contracting officers may restrict competition for contracts to WOSBs through a set-aside if there is a reasonable expectation that at least two WOSBs will submit offers that meet reasonable price requirements, and if the contract is for a good or service from an eligible industry. The program also authorizes contracting officers to award a sole-source award to a WOSB from an eligible industry, provided that only one identified WOSB can perform the contract at a fair and reasonable price. Program Update Results Summary Per direction from Congress, the SBA identifies WSOB program-eligible industries by determining how underrepresented WOSBs are among federal contractors. The SBA determines underrepresentation to different degrees-either underrepresented or substantially underrepresented-every five years. Both underrepresented and substantially underrepresented refer to a disparity between federal utilization of WOSBs in contracting and their availability for contracts. Each term is defined by a disparity ratio Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11912 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress