The Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) program — and its subset, the Economically Disadvantaged WOSB (EDWOSB) program — reserve federal contracts for firms owned and controlled by women. For those who qualify, it’s a direct line into set-aside competition in the industries where women-owned firms are underrepresented.

Here’s how it works.

Who qualifies

To be a WOSB, a firm generally must be:

  • At least 51% owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens.
  • Managed day-to-day by one or more of those women owners, who also make the long-term decisions. The highest officer position is held by a woman owner.
  • A small business under the NAICS code that applies to the work. See our NAICS code guide.

EDWOSB adds an economic-disadvantage test on the qualifying woman owner(s) — personal net worth, adjusted gross income, and total assets below SBA thresholds (similar in spirit to the 8(a) economic test). Every EDWOSB is a WOSB; not every WOSB is an EDWOSB.

Where the program applies

WOSB and EDWOSB set-asides are restricted to specific NAICS codes — the industries where SBA has determined women-owned firms are underrepresented (WOSB) or substantially underrepresented (EDWOSB). Before you count on a set-aside, confirm your work’s NAICS code is on the current eligible list.

Certification

You must be formally certified to compete for WOSB/EDWOSB set-asides — self- certification was phased out. Certification runs through the SBA (or an SBA-approved third-party certifier). You document ownership, control, and — for EDWOSB — the economic-disadvantage thresholds, then maintain the certification with periodic updates. Start before an opportunity is live; you can’t certify retroactively to win a set-aside.

The advantages

  • Set-aside competition limited to WOSBs (or EDWOSBs) in eligible NAICS — a much smaller field.
  • Sole-source awards up to applicable thresholds, where a contracting officer can award directly to a certified firm.
  • Stackable with other statuses — many firms hold WOSB alongside 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB and pursue whichever set-aside fits the opportunity. See the set-aside overview.

Staying compliant

  • Keep ownership and control with the qualifying women owners — cap-table or management changes can affect eligibility.
  • Honor the limitations on subcontracting — like every set-aside, a WOSB award requires you to self-perform a minimum share of the work; see FAR 52.219-14.
  • Recertify on schedule and keep your SAM.gov registration active.

The bottom line

If your firm is majority woman-owned, WOSB (or EDWOSB) certification opens a protected lane of federal demand in the industries that need it most. Confirm your NAICS is eligible, get certified before you need it, and build your pursuit strategy around the set-asides only your firm can compete for.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Eligibility rules, eligible-NAICS lists, and the certification process change; verify the current requirements with the SBA before acting.