New program for small, women-owned firms: the final women-owned small business rule will expand access to federal contracting opportunities.

With publication on October 4, 2010, of a final rule in the Federal Register, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will begin implementing its women-owned small business (WOSB) contracting program. The agency expects the program to be available for WOSBs in early 2011.

The rule is part of the Obama administration's overall commitment to expanding opportunities for small businesses, in particular those owned by women, socially and economically disadvantaged persons, and veterans, to compete for federal contracts. This rule identifies 83 industries in which WOSBs are underrepresented or substantially underrepresented in the federal contract marketplace. In addition to opening up more opportunities for WOSBs, the rule is another tool to help achieve the statutory goal of having 5 percent of federal contracting dollars go to WOSBs.

"Women-owned businesses are one of the fastest growing sectors of our nation's economy, and even during the economic downturn of the last few years, have been one of the key job creation engines in communities across the country," Administrator Karen Mills said.

Mills added, "Despite their growth and the fact that women lead some of the strongest and most innovative companies, women-owned firms continue to be under-represented in the federal contracting marketplace. This rule will be a platform for changing that by providing greater opportunities for women-owned small businesses to compete for and win federal contracts."

With the publication of the final rule, the SBA, in conjunction with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, will begin a 120-day implementation of the WOSB contracting program, including building the technology and program infrastructure to support the certification process and ongoing oversight. The agency expects implementation to take several months; the federal agencies' contracting officers will be able to start making contracts available to WOSBs under the program in early 2011.

In 2000, the United States Congress authorized creation of a rule to increase federal contracting opportunities for WOSBs. Since then, the SBA took several steps to study and analyze the market, including looking at participation by WOSBs across all industries. Various draft rules were made available for public comment in prior years, but shortly after taking office, the Obama administration drafted a new, comprehensive rule based on analysis of the prior studies and on all the questions and comments...