SBA Announces Contracting Program

First Contracts Expected to be Awarded through WOSB Program
By Critical Fourth Quarter of Fiscal Year 2011

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Release Date: February 1, 2011
Contact: Tiffani Clements (202) 401-0035
Release Number: 11-09
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

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WASHINGTON – Women-owned small businesses can begin taking steps to participate in a new federal contracting program on Friday, Feb. 4, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced today. The new Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program will be fully implemented over the next several months, with the first contracts expected to be awarded by the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011.

“Implementing the Women-Owned Small Business contracting rule has been a top priority for the Obama Administration and SBA,” said Administrator Karen Mills. “Women-owned businesses are one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy. As we continue to look to small businesses to grow, create jobs and lead America into the future, women-owned businesses will play a key role. That’s why providing them with all the tools necessary to compete for and win federal contracts is so important. Federal contracts can provide women-owned small businesses with the oxygen they need to take their business to the next level.”

The WOSB Federal Contract Program will provide greater access to federal contracting opportunities for WOSBs and economically-disadvantaged women-owned small businesses (EDWOSBs). The Program allows contracting officers, for the first time, to set aside specific contracts for certified WOSBs and EDWOSBs and will help federal agencies achieve the existing statutory goal of five percent of federal contracting dollars being awarded to WOSBs.

On Feb. 4, SBA will release instructions on how to participate in the program, as well as launch the secure, online data repository for WOSBs to upload required documents, on its website: www.sba.gov/wosb. SBA will also release an application to become an SBA-approved third party certifier for this program on that date. This will be the first version of the application. SBA welcomes comments and suggestions on this first version of the application.

During the ramp up period over the next several months, SBA is encouraging small business owners to review program requirements and ensure their required documents are uploaded to the repository. WOSBs also will need to update their status in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and the Online Representation and Certification Application (ORCA) to indicate to contracting officers that they are eligible to participate. The General Services Administration is currently updating these systems and they are expected to be completed in April, 2011.

Similarly, the WOSB rule in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which is the companion to the SBA rule, is now going through final review, and is also expected to be issued by April. With these pieces in place, SBA expects to see the first contracts awarded through the program by the all-important fourth quarter, when the largest percent of federal contracts are awarded.

Every firm that wishes to participate in the WOSB program must meet the eligibility requirements and either self-certify or obtain third party certification. At this time, SBA has not approved any third party certifiers. Regardless of their certification method, WOSBs must also upload required documents proving their eligibility to a secure online data repository developed and maintained by SBA.

To qualify as a WOSB, a firm must be at least fifty-one percent owned and controlled by one or more women, and primarily managed by one or more women. The women must be U.S. citizens and the firm must be considered small according to SBA size standards. To be deemed “economically disadvantaged”, a firm’s owners must meet specific financial requirements set forth in the program regulations.

The WOSB Program identifies eighty-three four-digit North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) codes where WOSBs are underrepresented or substantially underrepresented. Contracting officers may set aside contracts in these industries if the contract can be awarded at a fair and reasonable price, the contracting officer has a reasonable expectation that two or more WOSBs or EDWOSBs will submit offers for the contract and the anticipated contract price is not greater than $5 million for manufacturing contracts and $3 million for other contracts.

Each stage of implementation is part of SBA’s mission to make the Program efficient and user-friendly, and to ensure its benefits go only to qualifying WOSBs. SBA is excited to launch this new program to provide WOSBs with increased opportunities to compete for and win federal contracts, ultimately helping WOSBs create and retain more jobs.

For more information on the Women-Owned Small Business Program or to access the instructions, applications or database, please visit www.sba.gov/wosb.

Upcoming Small Business Workshops

It's 2011 and the perfect time to put your dreams of a business of your own into action ..... and we have some great opportunities for you to get started .... and for expanding or diversifying existing businesses as well!

First, you may remember that we had to cancel a workshop a couple of weeks ago due to the untimely arrival of a real honest-to-goodness snowstorm. We have now rescheduled that "How to Start a Small Business" workshop for Monday, Jan. 31st, 6-8 pm in Room 210 of the Thurmond Building.

If you think you'd be interested in having a franchise business, Doug Stout, a Franchising and Self-Employment Coach with Entrepreneur's Source in Greenville, SC will conduct a workshop on Franchising on Tuesday, Feb. 7th, 6-8 pm in Room 210 of the Thurmond Building.

For driving directions, or information on more workshops currently scheduled, please visit our web site and or click on the calendar at the bottom of this page, and then on the date for additional information.

DBEs ..... Important Information for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises

Important Meeting for DBEs ...... Time to Re-Engineer, Re-Energize, Re-Focus.

This is a SC Dept of Transportation Public Consultation Meeting. We would like to get your input. How can you broaden your opportunities with the SC DOT?

Hear how some DBEs are successfully re-engineering their offerings for future opportunities. Hear what other are doing to ride out recession.

Not a Certified DBE with the SC Department of Transportation? We've got information for you!

This Workshop will be held at The Colonial Center, 801 Lincoln Street, Columbia, SC from 1-4 pm on Thursday, Feb. 3rd.

To Register: Call 803 737-6426 or email hollispc@scdot.org -- your will need to provide the name, address, email and phone number of your business, and the names of the individuals who will be attending.

One more day .....

Our SBDC office at Winthrop will be closed for one more day.

Snow, sleet and ice in this quantity makes it unsafe for us and our clients to drive to the campus.

So pretty .... so inconvenient! We'll see you all soon!

Workshop Cancellation

Due to predictions of dire weather and dangerous road conditions for late Monday, Jan. 10, 2011, our scheduled "How to Start a Small Business" workshop has been cancelled.

This workshop will be rescheduled at a later date. Please watch our web site calendar for more information.

Reflection on 2010 Challenges & 2011 Opportunities

As we prepare to close our offices tomorrow for the holiday week ahead, we want to reflect on the past year and end 2010 on a positive note.

Yes, economically things got pretty rough there for a while; but we know that gloom and doom can't be allowed to rule or we'll never get out of the hole. So here at the SBDC we choose to forge ahead .... to look for and act on positive signs ... to help our clients with creative brainstorming as well as basic business building blocks ... and develop new ways of solving old problems.

It has been our pleasure during the past year to assist many entrepreneurs as they worked through the planning phase of their start-up businesses and took the next step to actually opening a business. We'll be here for them again this year whenever they need to talk.

We were also blessed to have many clients we've worked with over the years return in 2010 to talk about ways to refocus or expand their businesses, re-write their business plans in preparation for applying for small business loans to do that, and even in a slow economy get those loans! Knowing that we played a part in their successes is a feeling we can't quite describe; but we know we like it! And we want it to continue!

Larry Stevens, Director of the Winthrop Regional Small Business Development Center in the College of Business, says "The work of assisting our local small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs has never been as important or diversified as it will be in 2011." The SBDC is currently developing programs and preparing to venture into areas that will provide opportunities for both new ventures and existing businesses poised for expansion.

As a participant in the developing Nuclear Cluster (see http://www.newcarolina.org/), the SBDC joins a consortium of private industries, higher education and nonprofit organizations working in unison to support South Carolina's nuclear energy industry by strengthening small businesses which support that industry. Additionally, new funds being made available through the Small Business JOBS Act of 2010 will provide new training opportunities and specialized counseling for business owners looking to expand to create new jobs. Workshops are now being developed to aid businesses in increasing sales, marketing, and creating an online presence on a budget. Watch the SBDC web site for details http://www.winthropregionalsbdc.org/.

All in all, the staff of the SBDC is looking forward to an exciting new year of helping to strengthen South Carolina's economy! Farewell 2010 .... and thanks for the challenge! Welcome, 2011! We're ready to embrace all you have to offer!

US Dept of Energy Hosts Nationwide Business Expo

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, is proud to present The 12th Annual DOE Small Business Conference & Expo, at the Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, MO, May 10-12, 2011.

The DOE would like to make sure that small businesses nationwide will learn about this great opportunity to do business:

• This event will feature plenaries, educational workshops, an Exhibit Hall with over 200 exhibitors/sponsors, as well as business matchmaking sessions. Over 1,600 attendees will represent all levels of federal, state, and local government agencies, the small business community, large/prime contractors, minority educational institutions, and many more!
• The largest civilian contracting agency within the Federal government, DOE spent over $25 billion in contracts in FY 2010. The 12th Annual DOE Small Business Conference & Expo is a great opportunity for Small Business owners, large companies, and universities alike to network and partner.
• Registration will open mid-December 2010.

For more information, please visit http://smallbusinessconference.energy.gov/ or call the Conference Hotline: 866-925-5708