WEBINARS FROM WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION WEEK 2023
CERTIFICATIONS FOR WOMEN- OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES
Women with construction-related businesses may be interested to learn that they can gain easier access to a range of contract opportunities by qualifying for several different federal business certifications , including Woman-Owned Small Business ( WOSB ), Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business ( EDWOSB ), and Disadvantaged Business Entity ( DBE ).
In a Norcal PTAC / APEC Accelerator webinar presented during Women in Construction Week 2023 , Nanci R . Pigeon , Procurement Specialist with the Northern California Procurement Technical Assistance Center ( Norcal PTAC ), stressed the importance of becoming certified as a small business owner , noting that government agencies are mandated to award a substantial number of contracts to certified small businesses - including women in construction - through federal government small business procurement goals .
In 2022 , the federal government ’ s annual goal was to award 23 % of its contracts to small businesses , but it actually exceeded this goal – awarding 26.5 % or an historic $ 162.9 billion – to goods and services procured from certified small businesses . Primes are also mandated to subcontract a certain percentage of work on federallyfunded projects to certified small businesses , and one benefit of certification includes being listed as a preferred subcontractor for primes needing to fulfill contractual inclusion goals .
“ Certification helps set your company apart in the marketplace , and adds credibility ,” said Pigeon . “ The credibility part is that you have to go through so much to get the certification that it really shows you are a credible company and that you can be trusted .”
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Department of Transportation ’ s DBE certification , for example , is designed to ensure that small firms owned by historically disadvantaged individuals have more equitable access to compete for federallyfunded transportation-related contracts . The program ’ s goals include helping to remove barriers to participation , promoting the use of DBEs in federally-assisted contracts ,
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