Elizabeth N Jochum is an Associate in our
Tysons office.
Women-Owned Small Business Certification
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has published a
proposed rule to amend its regulations to
implement a statutory requirement to certify Women-Owned Small
Businesses (WOSBs) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small
Businesses (EDWOSBs) participating in the SBA's Women-Owned
Small Business Program, under which those businesses can be
eligible for set-aside and sole source awards.
The WOSB Federal Contract Program, set forth in section 8(m) of
the Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C. 637(m), authorizes contracting
officers to restrict competition to eligible WOSBs or EDWOSBs for
federal contracts in certain industries. The 2015 National Defense
Authorization Act amended the Small Business Act to allow for sole
source awards to WOSBs and EDWOSBs. In addition, the 2015 NDAA
amended the Small Business Act to create a requirement that a
concern must be