Government contracts for women owned businesses and federal WOSB set-aside contracts for bid
Government contracts for women owned businesses come in two layers. The narrow one is the federal WOSB program: contracts a buying office sets aside only for certified women owned small businesses (WOSB) or economically disadvantaged ones (EDWOSB). The wide one is everything else a small firm may bid, starting with total small business set-asides. FederalContracts reads every new federal notice the morning after it posts, scores it out of 100 against your NAICS codes, capabilities, states and WOSB status, and puts the WOSB set-asides you qualify for at the top of one short list.
A certified WOSB that only watches WOSB set-asides sees a fraction of the work it could win. One that reads all of SAM.gov by hand never gets to the bids.
| Match | Solicitation and agency | NAICS | Set-aside | Place of performance | Response due |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | 59--COIL,ELECTRICAL | 334417 | WOSB | Not stated | 21 Oct |
| 74 | 59--COIL,ELECTRICAL | 334416 | WOSB | Not stated | 21 Oct |
| 72 | 48--VALVE,SAFETY RELIEF | 332911 | WOSB | Not stated | 16 Oct 3 days left |
| 71 | 59--COIL,ELECTRICAL | 334416 | Total small business | Not stated | 21 Oct |
| 71 | Cable Assembly Spec | 334419 | Full and open | Not stated | 28 Oct |
Where do women owned businesses find government contracts?
Women owned businesses find federal contracts on SAM.gov under Contract Opportunities, filtered by the set-aside types "Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program Set-Aside" and "Economically Disadvantaged WOSB Program Set-Aside", plus total small business set-asides in their NAICS codes. To bid on WOSB set-asides you need SBA WOSB or EDWOSB certification and an active SAM registration.
We counted the SAM.gov public data extract on October 13, 2026. These are the open solicitations with a response date still ahead.
| Open federal solicitations on October 13, 2026 | Count | Who may bid |
|---|---|---|
| All open solicitations | 10,394 | Depends on the set-aside |
| Total small business set-aside | 2,717 | Any small business, women owned firms included |
| SDVOSB set-aside | 429 | Service disabled veteran owned small businesses |
| HUBZone set-aside | 140 | Certified HUBZone firms |
| WOSB set-aside, including sole source | 124 | Certified WOSBs and EDWOSBs |
| 8(a) set-aside | 91 | 8(a) program participants |
| EDWOSB set-aside | 2 | Certified EDWOSBs only |
Over the 30 days before that count, buying offices posted 449 new WOSB and EDWOSB set-aside notices, against 5,782 total small business set-asides. The WOSB label is worth having, and the bigger pool is still the small business one.
Which agencies set aside contracts for women owned businesses
Of the 126 open WOSB and EDWOSB set-asides in that count, 107 came from the Department of Defense, and 101 of those from the Defense Logistics Agency. Most are small spare parts buys from DLA, the same buyer behind much of the list on DoD contract opportunities: electrical connectors and coils, fluid filters, valves, pumps, switches, safety glasses and breathing equipment, each posted as a combined synopsis and solicitation with a short response window. The rest is a mix that changes week to week.
- Defense Logistics Agency parts. Connectors under NAICS 334417, filters under 333998, valves under 332911, safety equipment under 339113. Quantities are small, quotes are fast and the same items come back on repeat orders.
- Base and facility work. A job order contract at Fort Benning, a protective coating maintenance IDIQ set aside for EDWOSBs by the Air Force, installation support services at a DLA distribution center in California.
- IT and professional services. IT support services for a Marine Corps education command, enterprise support tasking at the FAA, a data management solution at the FDA, electronic security system maintenance at DHS in Washington.
- GSA and civilian agencies. The GSA Federal Acquisition Service had 10 open, the FAA 6, and Homeland Security and the FDA one each.
If you distribute parts or electronics, the WOSB set-asides are a steady daily stream. If you sell services, they are occasional and worth catching every time, because the field is limited to certified firms.
How the WOSB program decides which contracts are set aside
- Eligible NAICS codes only. A contracting officer may set a contract aside for WOSBs only in industries SBA names as substantially underrepresented, and for EDWOSBs only in industries named as underrepresented. Check the SBA list for your codes before you plan around WOSB set-asides.
- The rule of two. The officer needs a reasonable expectation that two or more eligible WOSBs (or EDWOSBs) will bid at a fair price. Answering sources sought notices in your codes is how you become one of those two.
- Sole source ceilings. Under FAR 19.1506 a WOSB or EDWOSB may get a sole source award up to 8.5 million USD for manufacturing and 5.5 million USD for any other NAICS code, including options, when no second eligible firm is expected.
- Certification is mandatory. Self certification ended in October 2020. You certify through SBA at no charge, or through an SBA approved third party certifier that charges a fee, and SBA runs a program examination every three years.
- EDWOSB limits. The woman owner's personal net worth must be under 850,000 USD (excluding her stake in the firm and her home equity), her adjusted gross income averaged over three years at or under 400,000 USD, and her total assets at or under 6.5 million USD.
- 51 percent, direct. Women who are US citizens must own at least 51 percent of the firm directly and control it, with a woman holding the top officer position and running daily operations.
The same firm is still a small business. Every total small business set-aside in its NAICS codes is open to it, and that is where most of its federal revenue usually comes from. The set-asides explained guide covers how each set-aside type works.
How WOSB bid matching works
- Set your status to WOSB. Add your NAICS codes, the states you work in and a line about what you do: industrial parts distribution, staffing, IT support, janitorial, consulting.
- We read every new notice. Each federal solicitation, presolicitation and sources sought is read in full the morning after it posts, not only the title.
- WOSB set-asides rank first when they fit. A WOSB or EDWOSB set-aside in your codes scores higher than a full and open notice, total small business set-asides come next, and notices set aside for a status you do not hold drop off the list.
- You get one short list with the reason. Scope fit, set-aside, place of performance and days left to respond, plus the award history of similar contracts so you see who won the last one.
Who pays for a WOSB bid list
- Certified WOSB parts and supply distributors. DLA posts women owned set-asides for connectors, filters and safety gear most weekdays, and the window to quote is often a week or two.
- EDWOSB service firms. Construction, coatings, staffing and facilities firms in EDWOSB designated industries see the few contracts only they can bid, without reading every notice in their codes.
- Women owned IT and consulting firms. A WOSB set-aside at a civilian agency is rare enough that missing one costs a real chance at a limited competition.
- Firms waiting on certification. While SBA reviews the application, the same list ranks the small business set-asides you can bid today, and the WOSB ones are already there when certification comes through.
Ways women owned businesses find federal bids compared
| Option | What you get | What it costs | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAM.gov saved searches | Every notice filtered by WOSB set-aside or NAICS, emailed raw | No charge | |
| SBA and APEX Accelerator counseling | Certification help, bid reviews, matchmaking events | No charge | |
| Research databases | Award history, forecasts, contacts | HigherGov from 500 USD a year, GovTribe from 1,500 USD a year, GovWin IQ quoted in five figures | |
| FederalContracts | Federal notices scored out of 100 against your codes, states and WOSB status, with the reason and deadline | 129 USD a month, or 768 USD a year on Bid Desk |
Free help from SBA district offices and APEX Accelerators is worth using for certification and proposal reviews. The paid part is the hour every morning nobody on a small team has.
What a women owned firm gets on each plan
- Bid Desk, 129 USD a month or 768 USD a year. Federal solicitations, 1 company profile, 3 seats, 5 saved searches, a daily ranked digest, deadline reminders and 3 years of competitor award history.
- Capture, 349 USD a month or 2,088 USD a year. Federal solicitations plus New York City bids from the City Record, 5 business lines (for example parts supply and facility services as separate lines), 15 seats, per business line digests, full award history with exports, Slack and Teams alerts and a read API.
Every plan feature is on pricing. Annual billing costs half of twelve monthly payments.
How can a woman owned business get government contracts?
A woman owned business gets government contracts by registering in SAM.gov, getting SBA WOSB or EDWOSB certification, and bidding both WOSB set-asides and total small business set-asides in its NAICS codes. Start with small purchases and sources sought responses, which build the past performance agencies look for on larger awards.
What percentage of government contracts go to women owned businesses?
The federal government's goal is 5 percent of prime contract dollars to women owned small businesses each year, set by statute. Set-asides are only part of that, since women owned firms also win full and open and total small business contracts. On October 13, 2026, about 1.2 percent of open SAM.gov solicitations carried a WOSB or EDWOSB set-aside.
How much does WOSB certification cost?
WOSB and EDWOSB certification through SBA costs nothing. SBA approved third party certifiers charge a fee for their own process, and those certifications are also accepted for federal set-asides. Budget the time instead: ownership documents, financial statements for EDWOSB, and a program examination every three years.
What is the difference between WOSB and EDWOSB?
Both are at least 51 percent owned and controlled by women who are US citizens. An EDWOSB owner also meets economic limits: personal net worth under 850,000 USD, average adjusted gross income at or under 400,000 USD and assets at or under 6.5 million USD. EDWOSBs can bid both set-aside types, WOSBs only WOSB set-asides.
Is WOSB certification worth it?
WOSB certification is worth it when your NAICS codes are on SBA's eligible list and agencies buy what you sell, because WOSB set-asides limit the competition to certified firms. It is worth less when your codes are not eligible, since you can still win small business set-asides without it.
Do women owned businesses get preference in government contracts?
Women owned businesses get preference only through the WOSB program: contracts set aside for certified WOSBs or EDWOSBs, and sole source awards up to 8.5 million USD for manufacturing and 5.5 million USD for other work. Outside those notices, a women owned firm competes on price and past performance like any small business.
See today's WOSB set-asides ranked for your company
Type your NAICS codes, states and capabilities in Bid Match above and set your status to WOSB. It ranks a dated snapshot of public federal solicitation records against them, so you see the list you would get each morning before you pay anything.
Related reading: small business government contracting opportunities, set-asides explained, DoD contract opportunities, government contract alerts, government contracts for veterans.