Contractors researching Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) set-asides sometimes assume self-certification is still an option. It isn't, and hasn't been for years: the Small Business Administration eliminated self-certification for WOSB and EDWOSB set-aside and sole-source awards effective October 15, 2020, under a final rule implementing Section 825 of the FY2015 NDAA. No award of a WOSB or EDWOSB set-aside contract can be made to a firm that has not been certified through an approved path.
How Certification Actually Works Today
Firms seeking WOSB or EDWOSB status for federal set-asides have three certification paths: apply directly through SBA's free online certification system, submit evidence of certification from another approved government entity, or submit evidence of certification from an SBA-approved third-party certifier. Self-attestation with no outside verification — the practice that prevailed before the 2020 rule — is no longer sufficient for any WOSB or EDWOSB set-aside or sole-source award.
The 2020 rule change followed years of documented abuse: an SBA review of companies that had received WOSB/EDWOSB set-aside contracts under the old self-certification regime found more than 40% should not have attested to their eligibility. Congress's 2015 NDAA mandate to eliminate self-certification was a direct response to that finding.
What It Means for Contractors
If your firm hasn't formally certified through one of the three approved paths, you are not eligible for WOSB or EDWOSB set-aside or sole-source awards regardless of your actual ownership structure — certification, not self-attestation, is what makes a bid eligible. Firms that certified years ago should also confirm their certification hasn't lapsed; SBA-certified WOSBs and EDWOSBs must recertify periodically, and firms whose recertification window has passed without action can lose eligibility even though they were properly certified at some point. Contractors should check their current status directly through SBA's certification portal before relying on WOSB/EDWOSB status in a proposal.
