NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
For more than 51 years, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. This year, the National Small Business Week will occur May 1-7.
As a part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration takes the opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners and others from all 50 states and U.S. territories.
Carey Baker, Defense Logistics Agency Distribution’s new Office of Small Business Programs associate director, highlights two programs within the SBA, Women-Owned Small Businesses and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses.
“The Small Business and Socio-economic Programs were established to meet the requirements of the Small Business Act of 1953 to maximize opportunities for small business,” Baker said. “Two programs that were created within the SBA, WOSBs and EDWOSBs, were created to provide equal access to federal contracting opportunities. As of Sept. 2015, the Small Business Administration implemented sole source authority for WOSBs and EDWOSBs.”
The WOSB and EDWOSBs are programs that authorizes contracting officers to specifically limit, or set aside, certain requirements for competition solely amongst WOSBs and EDWOSBs. The goal of the WOSB and EDWOSBs program is to make sure that 5% of federal prime subcontracting dollars go to women-owned small businesses. DLA Distribution currently has contracts with 626 WOSBs/EWOSBs, totaling over $34 million.
“It is important to ensure WOSBs/EDWOSBs have an equal opportunity to participate in Federal contracting and to help attain the federal government’s goal in awarding 5% of its prime contract dollars to WOSBs,” Baker said. “According to an SBA study, 646 National Association of Insurance Commissioners code industries are underrepresented by EDWOSB concerns. That is 759 out of 891 NAICS code industries and over 85% of the procurement NAICS codes.”