Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) certification gives your company access to a federal set-aside program that no other certification unlocks the same way. The SBA runs it. Federal agencies use it to steer contracts toward women-owned firms in industries where those firms have historically been underrepresented. If you are running a women-owned business in Maine and doing any government contracting work, or considering it, this is one of the first certifications worth getting.
Here is how it works, what it costs, and what the process looks like from Maine.
What WOSB certification is
WOSB is a federal certification program administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. It allows contracting officers at federal agencies to set aside specific contracts exclusively for women-owned small businesses. A related tier, Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), applies additional income and asset limits and opens additional set-asides.
The federal government has a statutory goal of awarding 5% of all federal contracting dollars to WOSBs each year. In FY2023, the federal government awarded approximately $27.6 billion to WOSBs, according to SBA data. The set-aside authority covers 83 NAICS industry codes where research has shown women-owned firms are underrepresented or undercapitalized relative to their market share.
You can find the full list of covered NAICS codes on the SBA website. They span construction, professional services, IT, healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing, among others.
Eligibility requirements
The core requirements are straightforward.
Your business must be at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens. "Control" means day-to-day management and long-term decision-making both need to rest with a woman. Ownership on paper without operational authority does not satisfy the requirement.
Your business must qualify as a small business under SBA size standards for your primary NAICS code. For most service industries, the revenue-based size standard is $30 million or less in average annual receipts over the past three years, but this varies significantly by NAICS code. Some manufacturing codes use an employee-count threshold instead. Check your specific NAICS code on the SBA size standards tool before applying.
For EDWOSB, the economically disadvantaged tier, the additional requirements include: personal net worth below $850,000 (excluding your business equity and primary residence), adjusted gross income of $400,000 or less averaged over three years, and total assets of $6.5 million or less.
How to apply
There are two paths: SBA self-certification and third-party certification.
SBA self-certification is free and lives at certify.sba.gov. You create an account, complete the WOSB program application, upload supporting documents, and submit. Required documents typically include articles of incorporation or organization, operating agreement or bylaws, stock certificates or membership certificates showing ownership percentages, birth certificate or passport for citizenship, and financial statements. The SBA may request additional documents during review.
Third-party certification goes through one of four SBA-approved organizations: WBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council), NWBOC (National Women Business Owners Corporation), El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, or the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce. If you already hold or are pursuing WBENC certification for corporate supplier diversity programs, getting WBENC-certified simultaneously satisfies the WOSB third-party requirement. That makes the dual track efficient if corporate contracting is also part of your strategy.
Once certified, you must maintain your certification and update your profile in certify.sba.gov. Recertification is required annually.
What WOSB certification unlocks
Contracting officers can use the WOSB set-aside when two or more WOSB firms are likely to compete for the contract and the award amount is at or below $4 million for most contracts ($6.5 million for manufacturing). They can also use sole-source authority to award directly to a WOSB up to $4 million, or $6.5 million for manufacturing, when certain conditions apply.
Beyond the set-asides, being certified and listed in the SBA's database makes you visible to contracting officers who are actively searching for WOSB vendors. Some agencies run matchmaking events specifically for WOSB firms. You also qualify for SBA programs like the Women's Business Center network, though Maine does not currently have a Women's Business Center; the closest is in New Hampshire.
Federal contracting in Maine
Maine has meaningful federal agency presence. The largest is the Department of Defense. Naval Air Station Brunswick closed in 2011, but Portsmouth Naval Shipyard sits across the border in Kittery and is one of the Navy's largest shipyards, employing roughly 7,500 people and spending hundreds of millions annually on contracts. The Air National Guard 101st Air Refueling Wing is at Bangor International Airport. The Army Corps of Engineers has an active presence in Maine related to dam and waterway infrastructure.
The Department of Defense's procurement activity in Maine spans engineering services, construction, IT support, logistics, facilities maintenance, and professional services. Many of those NAICS codes appear on the WOSB covered industry list.
Other active federal buyers in Maine include the General Services Administration (GSA), the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (Maine has VA medical facilities in Augusta, Togus, and Portland). The VA actively runs supplier diversity programs and spends consistently with small and diverse businesses.
To see what agencies are buying in Maine right now, search SAM.gov for active solicitations and filter by place of performance to Maine.
Get free help from Maine PTAC
The Maine Procurement Technical Assistance Center (Maine PTAC), housed at Eastern Maine Development Corporation, provides free one-on-one counseling for businesses pursuing government contracts. They can walk you through the WOSB application, help you interpret size standards, review your registration on SAM.gov, and connect you with upcoming federal solicitations that match your NAICS codes.
This is a meaningful resource. PTAC counselors know the local federal buying community and can help you prioritize which certifications to pursue based on what agencies are actually buying in your region. Do not skip this step.
State-level certifications that complement WOSB
Maine does not have a standalone state women-owned business certification program that mirrors the federal WOSB structure. However, if you are pursuing state or municipal contracts in Maine, the relevant certification to know is the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, administered by the Maine Department of Transportation for federally funded transportation contracts.
DBE certification is separate from WOSB and goes through Maine DOT. It covers FHWA-funded road and bridge work, FTA-funded transit projects, and FAA-funded airport work. If any part of your business touches transportation infrastructure contracts, DBE certification is worth pursuing alongside WOSB. The size standards and documentation requirements overlap but are not identical.
For corporate supplier diversity programs, WBENC certification is the primary credential recognized by Fortune 500 companies. WBENC's Northeast and Mid-Atlantic chapter (WBDC) covers Maine. Getting WBENC-certified covers both the corporate track and the federal WOSB third-party path at the same time.
Estimated timeline
Expect four to eight weeks from starting your application on certify.sba.gov to receiving your WOSB certification, assuming your documentation is in order. Third-party certification through WBENC typically takes eight to twelve weeks and involves an application fee that varies by revenue tier, ranging from roughly $350 to $1,250 per year.
The most common delay is incomplete documentation, particularly around demonstrating operational control. If your operating agreement or bylaws are silent on decision-making authority, update them before you apply.
Before you start, confirm your SAM.gov registration is current. You need an active SAM.gov registration to receive federal contracts, and it must be renewed annually.
Next steps
Start at certify.sba.gov to begin the self-certification process. Contact Maine PTAC at Eastern Maine Development Corporation to schedule a free counseling session before or during your application. Search SAM.gov for active WOSB set-aside solicitations in Maine under your NAICS codes. If you are also pursuing corporate contracts, add WBENC to your list to cover both tracks with one process.
