原始文本

根据最近的 女性拥有的小企业NAICS分析, “women face a wider variety 和 greater severity of challenges in starting 和 growing their businesses than men. Difficulties obtaining 政府ernment contracts represent one of the largest hurdles faced by women- owned firms.”

的 report suggests that women-owned businesses are underrepresented in federal contracting due to several barriers, 包括:

•  潜在的歧视
• 对政府合同缺乏了解或不感兴趣
• 联邦认证的困难
• 有限的政府和商业网络
• 不利的社会、政策和监管环境

帮助克服这些障碍，创造公平的竞争环境, the federal 政府ernment has created 和 implemented policies 和 programs to help women access 政府ernment contracts. 具体来说, 妇女拥有的小企业联邦承包计划, 国会批准的几个认证项目之一, was designed “to provide greater opportunities for [women-owned] small businesses to compete in the federal marketplace.”

的 WOSB program was born in 1994 as part of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA), which created a 5% 政府ernment-wide goal of contracting with women-owned small businesses.

什么是WOSB认证?

Overall, there are two types of certification available to women-owned businesses:

1. Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB): This designation is used by federal 政府ernment agencies looking for women-owned companies to do business with. Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) is a subcategory of WOSBs.
2. Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE): This designation is used by private sector organizations 和 many state 和 local 政府ernments looking for women-owned companies to do business with.

This article will focus on WOSB certification to tell you how to win federal contracts. To help you prepare for the certification process, the 小企业管理局 (SBA) 提供了一个有用的清单.

WOSB和EDWOSB认证

在过去几年里, SBA改变了wosb和edwosb的认证过程, making it “easier for qualified small businesses to participate” in the program.

您不能再自我认证您的业务. Instead, companies must go through an approved third-party organization or the SBA website at 证明.小企业管理局.政府.

申请认证，请访问 SBA的认证网站 回答资格问题. 一经认定符合资格, you will be guided to use the SBA to get certified or be given a list of the approved third-party certifiers. 它们是:

• 全国女企业主协会
• U.S. 妇女商会
• 全国妇女商业企业理事会
• 埃尔帕索西班牙裔商会

Contact them to learn about their certification processes 和 any associated costs of getting certified. 但认证的基本过程包括完成一份申请, providing documentation about your business (this varies depending on your legal form of business), 并让认证机构访问您的营业地点. 你还需要支付不可退还的申请费. 一旦通过这四个tpc之一的批准, you will still need to upload your proof of 公民hip 和 TPC-certified documentation to WOSB.证明.小企业管理局.政府 在竞标WOSB之前，先搁置合同. It’s a complicated process, but 证明ing organizations provide detailed directions to help you.

资格

要获得WOSB认证，您的企业必须:

• 做小生意依 小企业管理局规模标准 (小型企业的定义因NAICS代码而异)
• 至少51%的公司由美国女性拥有和控制.S. 公民
• Have a woman/women manage the day-to-day operations 和 make long-term decisions

要符合EDWOSB的资格，您的企业必须:

• 符合女子承包项目的所有要求
• 被一个或多个女性拥有和控制, each with a personal net worth of less than $750,000
• 被一个或多个女性拥有和控制, 每人350美元,过去三年调整后的平均总收入不超过5,000元
• 被一个或多个女性拥有和控制, each $6 million or less in personal asset

的 application requires some or all of the following information 和 documentation (depending on your business type 和 ownership):

• 公司名称及虚构业务名称(“以DBA的身份做生意”)
• 业主的姓名、地址和公司网站
• 该公司的 法律结构
• 注册日期
• 每个业主的名单, 合作伙伴, 股东, 或会员在提出申请日期前的12个月内
• 任何附属关系
• 固定客户的皇冠现金官网
• 商业和/或个人贷款
• 员工信息
• 出生证明、现行护照或入籍文件
• 所有车主的驾驶执照
• EIN/联邦税号
• 所有业主，董事，合伙人，管理人员的简历 & 关键人员
• 所有存款账户和贷款账户的活期银行对账单
• 金融机构签名卡
• 公司如何资本化的文件
• 三年财务报表，包括资产负债表、利润表 & 损失声明
• 过去三年的纳税申报表
• 假名/假名证书
• 在本州和/或本州开展业务的授权 信誉良好证明书 由州务卿颁发
• 公司章程 & 向国务大臣提交的修正案
• 规章制度 & 修正案
• 向国务秘书提交的资料说明, 董事, 经理, 成员, 或者普通合伙人
• 有限责任公司的组织章程和经营协议
• 所有股票证书的复印件
• 分钟 公司股东大会和董事会议
• 股东协议
• 伙伴关系协定
• 专业，行业和/或营业执照
• 营业地点的租约或契约副本

Make sure your application 和 documentation are complete when you turn them in. 通常需要至少三个月的时间来处理你的申请, 如果有什么缺失或不准确的, 你会进一步拖延这个过程.

企业必须每年更新他们的认证信息 动态小企业搜索数据库 和 β.证明.小企业管理局.政府.

NAICS

SBA维护一个 合资格行业名单 及其北美工业分类系统(NAICS)代码. 在759个符合条件的行业中, 646 are designated for limited competition among all WOSB Program participants, 113个有资格在SBA认证的edwosb之间竞争.

面向政府的市场推广

Newly certified WOSBs or EDWOSBs hoping to do business with 政府ernment agencies should go to 山姆.政府 找到 合同的机会.

For more information about marketing to the 政府ernment, check out these resources.

• 是WOSB项目吗 适合你的小生意?
• 小企业管理局的 联邦承包指南 来帮助你开始
• Before getting certified or competing for federal contracts, your business must register with the 奖励管理系统 (山姆). Registration is free 和 enables contracting agencies 找到 your business when searching for contractors.
• 认证 选项
• 常见问题解答
• 访问 知识库

既然你获得了认证

Once you get certified, it is crucial to stay involved 和 make the most of your designation. Put official logos on your website to spread the news 和 use the certificate in all your marketing materials 和 as part of your email signature.

Get found online 和 on social media by adding relevant keywords to your website 和 social media accounts, 如 女性所有，多元化，小企业，WOSB, 和 other search terms that 政府ernment contractors may use when looking for companies to do business with.

注册第三方认证组织的邮件列表. Government agencies often send information about contracting opportunities to these organizations’ lists.

虽然获得认证需要时间和金钱, most women who have gone through the process will attest that it’s worth it for your small business to gain access to contracts you may never have known about otherwise.