Sequestration not slowing women-owned businesses
Sequestration remains to be a burden for the federal government and small businesses wanting to do business with the Department of Defense. However, some federal agencies are awarding contracts to women-owned small businesses (WOSB) regardless of the burden from sequestration.
A small business concern must be independently owned and operated, for profit, and not be dominant in its field. A woman-owned small business must be at least 51 percent owned by one or more women whose management and day-to-day business operations are controlled by one or more women.
Agencies such as the Army, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and Health and Human Services (HHS) are meeting and even exceeding their Small Business Administration (SBA) goals for awarding contracts to WOSB.
The SBA goal for WOSB is 5 percent. Recently, the Army awarded 4.5 percent of its contracts to women-owned small businesses, totaling $4 billion and HHS exceeded its goals with contract awards at 6.43 percent, totaling $1.2 billion.
Additional information regarding contracts for women-owned businesses can be found at http://www.govexec.com/contracting/2013/08/despite-sequester-agencies-continue-hiring-women-owned-contractors/69104/?oref=govexec_today_nl.
