WOSB Accountability Act
The WOSB Accountability Act would change how women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) count toward federal contracting goals. It requires that only WOSBs that have been certified under the SBA’s 8(m) program (or by an approved national certifying entity) be included in meeting governmentwide and agency goals for WOSBs. Self-certified WOSBs would be excluded from those goals unless they obtain formal certification. The bill also establishes a transitional path for certain self-certified WOSBs to be counted for goal purposes until a formal determination is made, and it imposes mandatory rulemaking, quarterly congressional briefings, and other procedural requirements, without authorizing new funding. In short, the act tightens certification standards for WOSBs to count toward federal goals, creates transitional allowances for some self-certified firms, and increases SBA oversight and reporting related to WOSB certification.
Key Points
- 1Exclusion from goals unless certified: Self-certified women-owned small businesses would not count toward governmentwide or agency WOSB goals unless they have current certification under SBA 8(m)(2)(E) or through an approved national certifying entity.
- 2Transitional counting for some self-certified firms: A self-certified WOSB that (a) was self-certified as of the effective date, (b) filed a certification application before that date, and (c) has not yet been determined, can be treated as certified for goal calculations until a determination is made.
- 3Certification and rulemaking: The Administrator of the Small Business Administration must issue regulations to carry out these changes within one year of enactment.
- 4Regular congressional briefings: The SBA must provide quarterly briefings to Congress starting 60 days after enactment, covering application numbers, processing timelines, costs, outreach, and recommendations for additional authority or resources.
- 5No new funding: The bill does not authorize additional funds to implement these provisions; implementation would rely on current SBA resources.