WOSB Accountability Act

Full Title:
WOSB Accountability Act

Summary#

This bill changes how women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) are counted for federal contracting goals. Only WOSBs that are officially certified under section 8(m)(2)(E) of the Small Business Act will be included when calculating governmentwide and agency goals. The bill also says some currently self-certified WOSBs will still count until the Small Business Administration (SBA) or an approved national certifying entity makes a decision on their pending certification application.

The SBA must issue regulations to carry out the new rules within one year of enactment. The rule change will take effect on the first day after the end of the second fiscal year following the date the SBA issues those regulations. The bill requires the SBA to give quarterly briefings to the House and Senate small business committees, starting within 60 days after enactment and continuing until the effective date. The briefings must include numbers of expected applicants, pending applications, approvals, processing timelines, administrative costs, estimated applicant costs, outreach plans, and any recommended legislative or resource needs. The bill also says no additional money is authorized to carry out these changes.

What it means for you#

  • If you are a WOSB that currently self-certifies, you will need to apply to the SBA or an SBA-approved national certifying entity to be counted in federal contracting goals after the new rules take effect.
  • If you filed a certification application before the effective date and your application is still pending, you will be treated as certified for goal-calculation purposes until a decision is made.
  • Federal agencies will include only officially certified WOSBs in their WOSB contracting goals once the change is in effect.

Expenses#

No specific cost amounts are included in the bill text. The bill states that no additional funds are authorized to implement the changes. The SBA must report the administrative costs to process certifications and the estimated cost to applicants as part of its required briefings, but the bill does not provide dollar figures.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.