Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) certification is a federal designation that sets aside specific government contracts exclusively for qualifying women-owned firms. If you run a business in Oregon and want access to the $4 billion in annual federal WOSB set-aside spending, certification is the entry point. Here is what you need to know to get it.
What WOSB certification is
WOSB is a federal small business program administered by the SBA. It authorizes contracting officers to restrict competition on certain contracts to women-owned firms. Two tiers exist: WOSB (Women-Owned Small Business) and EDWOSB (Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business). EDWOSB adds income and net-worth limits that qualify a business for a narrower but less contested pool of set-asides.
The program covers 83 NAICS codes where the SBA has determined women-owned firms are underrepresented relative to their share of all U.S. businesses. That list spans industries from construction and engineering to professional services, healthcare, and IT. If your primary NAICS code is on that list, you can compete for set-asides where competition is limited only to other WOSBs.
Eligibility requirements
To qualify as a WOSB, your business must meet all of the following:
Small business size standard. You must qualify as a small business under the SBA size standard for your primary NAICS code. For most service industries, the cap is $30 million in average annual receipts over three years. Manufacturing and some other industries use employee counts instead. Check the SBA size standards table at sba.gov for your specific code.
51% women ownership. One or more women must own at least 51% of the business. For corporations, women must hold at least 51% of each class of voting stock. For LLCs, women must hold at least 51% of membership interests.
Management and control. Women must manage the business's day-to-day operations and make long-term decisions. The highest officer position (CEO, president, managing member) must be held by a woman owner.
U.S. citizenship. Each woman owner must be a U.S. citizen.
For EDWOSB, additional financial thresholds apply. As of 2024, each woman owner's personal net worth must be below $850,000 (excluding her ownership interest and primary residence), her adjusted gross income must average below $400,000 over three years, and her total assets must not exceed $6.5 million.
How to apply
The SBA opened self-certification in 2020. You no longer have to pay a third-party certifier, though using one remains an option.
SBA self-certification at certify.sba.gov. Create an account on the SBA's certification platform and complete the WOSB application. You will submit documents including articles of incorporation or organization, operating or shareholder agreements, and evidence of women's ownership percentages. The SBA reviews applications and may request additional documentation. Approval times vary but typically run 30 to 90 days.
Third-party certification. Four SBA-approved third-party certifiers can verify your eligibility instead: WBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council), NWBOC (National Women Business Owners Corporation), the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce. Third-party certification involves an application fee (WBENC's runs several hundred dollars depending on revenue tier), document review, and sometimes a site visit. If you already hold or plan to pursue WBENC certification for corporate supplier diversity access, certifying through WBENC simultaneously earns both federal and corporate recognition.
Once certified, you must register your business in SAM.gov (System for Award Management) with your WOSB designation. Contracting officers search SAM.gov when sourcing set-aside contracts. Registration is free and must be renewed annually.
What federal contracts it unlocks in Oregon
WOSB set-asides apply to contracts within the 83 qualifying NAICS codes. Contracting officers can restrict competition to WOSBs when they have a reasonable expectation of receiving two or more offers from WOSBs at fair market price. For EDWOSB, the threshold is the same but the pool is smaller.
In Oregon, active federal buyers include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District (infrastructure, environmental services), the Department of Veterans Affairs Portland Health Care System (medical, professional services, facilities), Naval Station Everett's contracting reach into the Pacific Northwest, and multiple Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management units spread across the state. Oregon is also home to Bonneville Power Administration, a large federal power marketing agency that procures IT, engineering, and professional services.
Defense contracts flow through Oregon via the Oregon National Guard and the broader Defense Logistics Agency network. Oregon's strong tech sector means IT and professional services contracts from GSA schedules and agency-specific vehicles are a realistic target for qualified WOSBs.
To find active opportunities, search SAM.gov using your NAICS codes and filter by set-aside type "WOSB" or "EDWOSB." Set email alerts for new postings in your codes.
Oregon-specific resources: APEX Accelerator
The Oregon APEX Accelerator (PTSO) provides free one-on-one counseling to Oregon small businesses pursuing federal contracts. PTSO counselors can walk you through SAM.gov registration, help you identify your qualifying NAICS codes, review your certification application documents, and connect you with contracting officers at Oregon-based federal agencies. They run regular workshops on federal procurement basics and can help you prepare a capability statement.
PTSO is funded by the Department of Defense and has no service fee. If you are working through your first WOSB application or trying to identify which Oregon agencies are realistic prospects for your industry, starting with PTSO before you spend time or money elsewhere is the practical move.
Oregon state certifications that complement WOSB
WOSB is a federal-only designation. Oregon has separate state-level programs that operate independently.
Oregon OMWESB certification. The Oregon Office of Minority, Women, and Emerging Small Business (OMWESB) certifies women-owned businesses for Oregon state agency contracting. Oregon law requires state agencies to pursue a 15% contracting goal for certified firms. The state certification requires the same 51% ownership and control standard and uses an application process at oregon.gov/omwesb. Holding both WOSB and OMWESB certification covers you for both federal and state set-asides.
DBE certification. If your work touches transportation projects with federal funding (ODOT, TriMet, airport construction), you will need Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certification through ODOT's Office of Civil Rights. DBE eligibility also requires 51% ownership by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, which includes women. DBE is project-type specific and does not substitute for WOSB in general federal contracting.
WBENC certification. If corporate supplier diversity programs are part of your business development strategy alongside federal contracting, WBENC certification opens doors to Fortune 500 supplier diversity programs. Many Oregon-based companies with active supplier diversity programs recognize WBENC-certified vendors. As noted above, WBENC certification simultaneously satisfies the SBA's third-party WOSB requirement.
Estimated timeline
Plan for six to ten weeks from document preparation to active certification, assuming no document issues. Gather your formation documents, ownership records, operating agreements, and evidence of management control before you start the application. Incomplete submissions are the most common cause of delays.
SAM.gov registration, if you do not already have it, takes an additional one to two weeks and must be active before you can compete for federal contracts. Renew your SAM.gov registration every 12 months or your eligibility lapses.
Oregon OMWESB certification runs on a separate timeline with its own process. If you want both, apply in parallel rather than sequentially.
The WOSB program has no fee for self-certification through the SBA. Budget time, not money, as the main cost.
