The Secrets to Closing the Government Contracting Gap

In FY2020, 15% of small business vendors that were awarded prime contracts were Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs). While government buyers have implemented measures to involve more female owners in contracting, women-led enterprises are encouraged to focus on strategies to becoming more competitive and achieving greater returns.

Where to start and what women-owners need to know:

  1. Self-certify at https://beta.certify.sba.gov/ or get certified through a designated third-party, SBA-approved organization.

  2. If certified as a WOSB, update your certification information through the Dynamic Small Business Search website.

  3. Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) portal for government solicitations/RFPs and other small business-related information.

  4. Search for past government contract awards in NAICS, including contract award amount in Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS).

  5. Research federal agencies for contract data, including U.S. Department of Transportation, to determine annual spending on goods and services that align with your company capabilities.

  6. Seek out the Federal Agencies Office of Small Business to determine services provided at no cost before seeking external service providers requiring compensation for small business services.

  7. Attend small business industry association meetings for networking opportunities.

  8. Register as a Small Business Enterprise with your state agencies (DOT, airport, seaport, transit, etc.), which often receive federal agency funding for local projects.

As of 2017, the more than 11.6 million women-owned firms nationwide employed nearly 9 million people and generated $1.7 trillion in sales, according to NAWBO.  As government contracting continues to evolve — awarding over 5% of all federal contracts to WOSBs — the U.S. Department of Transportation stands as a clear leader, achieving 8.29% in contracting with WOSBs in FY2020.

About the author: Adriana is the Southeast Region Director of the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) Southeast Region. Read more about her here.

BYOBAdriana Clark