March 31: Free SBA Monthly Web Chat to Focus on New Contracting Program for Women-Owned Small Businesses

Are you a woman business owner seeking federal contracts? The U.S. Small Business Administration’s March Web chat will focus on a new Women-Owned Small Business [WOSB] Federal Contract Program aimed at bringing more WOSBs into the federal contracting arena.

From 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 31, Michele Chang [pictured], senior advisor in the SBA's Office of Government Contracting and Business Development, will host the free monthly Web chat, "SBA’s New Federal Contract Program for Women." Chang will answer questions for the full hour.

Participants can join the live Web chat by going online to www.sba.gov, and clicking on the Web chat event under "What’s New." Web chat participants may also post questions before the March 31st chat by visiting http://bit.ly/WebChatWOSB.

Federal contracts can provide women entrepreneurs with the financial oxygen they need in order to take their business to the next level. Celebrate Women’s History Month and visit http://1.usa.gov/ContractsWOSB to get information about the new contract program.

About SBA's Monthly Web Chats
SBA’s Web chat series provides small-business owners with an opportunity to discuss relevant business issues online with experts, industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs. Chat participants have direct, real-time access to the Web chats via questions they submit online in advance, and during the live session.

Participants will gain valuable information on how to participate in the program to gain increased access to government contracting opportunities.

To review archives of past Web chats, visit online at http://1.usa.gov/MonthlyWebChat.

SOURCE: U.S. Small Business Administration
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SBA Releases Final Women-Owned Small Business Rule to Expand Access to Federal Contracting Opportunities

With today's publication of a final rule in the Federal Register, the U.S. Small Business Administration will begin implementation of its women-owned small business [WOSB] contracting program. The agency expects the program to be available for WOSBs in early 2011.

The rule is part of the Obama Administration’s overall commitment to expanding opportunities for small businesses to compete for federal contracts -- in particular, those owned by women, socially and economically disadvantaged persons, and veterans.

This rule identifies 83 industries in which WOSBs are under-represented, or substantially under-represented, in the federal contract marketplace. In addition to opening up more opportunities for WOSBs, the rule is also another tool to help achieve the statutory goal that five percent of federal contracting dollars go to women-owned small businesses.

"Women-owned businesses are one of the fastest-growing sectors of our nation’s economy, and even during the economic downturn of the last few years, have been one of the key job-creation engines in communities across the country," said SBA Administrator Karen Mills [pictured].

"Federal contracts provide critical opportunities for owners of small firms to take their business to the next level and create good-paying jobs," Mills added. "Despite their growth and the fact that women lead some of the strongest and most innovative companies, women-owned firms continue to be under-represented in the federal contracting marketplace. This rule will be a platform for changing that by providing greater opportunities for women-owned small businesses to compete for, and win, federal contracts.”

With the publication today of the final rule, SBA -- in conjunction with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council -- will begin a 120-day implementation of the WOSB contracting program, including building the technology and program infrastructure to support the certification process and ongoing oversight. With implementation expected to take several months, the agency expects that federal agencies’ contracting officers will be able to start making contracts available to WOSBs under the program in early 2011.

The creation of a rule to increase federal contracting opportunities for WOSBs was authorized by Congress in 2000. Since that time, SBA took a number of steps to study and analyze the market -- including looking at participation by women-owned small businesses across all industries.

Various draft rules were made available for public comment in prior years, but shortly after taking office, the Obama Administration drafted a new, comprehensive rule, based on the analysis of the prior studies and on all the questions and comments previously received. The proposed rule was published for public comment on March 2, 2010, for 60 days. SBA received over 1,000 comments during that time.

Some of the components of the Women-Owned Small Business rule include:

* To be eligible, a firm must be 51 percent owned and controlled by one or more women, and primarily managed by one or more women. The women must be U.S. citizens. The firm must be "small" in its primary industry, in accordance with SBA’s size standards for that industry. In order for a WOSB to be deemed "economically disadvantaged," its owners must demonstrate economic disadvantage in accordance with the requirements set forth in the final rule.

* Based upon the analysis in a study commissioned by the SBA from the Kauffman-RAND Institute for Entrepreneurship Public Policy, the final rule identifies 83 industries [identified by "NAICS" codes] in which women-owned small businesses are under-represented or substantially under-represented in federal procurements.

* The SBA has identified eligible industries based upon the combination of both the "share of contracting dollars" analysis, as well as the "share of number of contracts awarded" analysis used in the RAND study. This differs from an earlier proposed version of the rule, which identified only four industries in which women-owned small businesses were under-represented. This earlier version proposed to identify eligible industries based solely on the "share of contracting dollars" analysis used in the RAND study.

* In accordance with the statute, the final rule authorizes a set-aside of federal contracts for WOSBs where the anticipated contract price does not exceed $5 million in the case of manufacturing contracts, and $3 million in the case of other contracts. Contracts with values in excess of these limits are not subject to set-aside under this program.

* The final rule removes the requirement, set forth in a prior proposed version, that each federal agency certify that it had engaged in discrimination against women-owned small businesses in order for the program to apply to contracting by that agency.

* The proposed rule allows women-owned small businesses to self-certify as "WOSBs" or to be certified by third-party certifiers, including government entities and private certification groups.

* The final rule requires WOSBs which self-certify to submit a robust certification verification, to complete the certifications at the federal Online Representation and Certification Application ["ORCA"] Web site, and also to submit a core set of eligibility-related documents to an online "document repository" to be maintained by the SBA. Each agency’s contracting officers will have full access to this repository.

* The SBA intends to engage in a significant number of program examinations to confirm eligibility of individual WOSBs.

* In the event of a contract protest or program review, the SBA has the authority to request substantial additional documentation from the WOSB to establish eligibility.

* SBA intends to pursue vigorously punitive action against ineligible firms that seek to take advantage of this program and, in so doing, to deny its benefits to the intended legitimate WOSBs.

* * *

GoodBiz113's Take: After languishing for eight long years during the Bush Administration, this rule in favor of WOSBs couldn't be more timely. Hats off to Administrator Mills and her team for finally making it happen for women-owned small businesses and our stakeholders.

SOURCE: U.S. Small Business Administration
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President Obama Proclaims National Small Business Week 2010, Highlights Small-Business Growth and Job Creation

Calling small business the backbone of the nation’s economy, President Barack Obama [pictured] stressed his Administration’s commitment "to helping small businesses drive our economy toward recovery and long-term growth" in his proclamation of the week of May 23-29 as National Small Business Week.

The President’s proclamation was issued yesterday, prior to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 47th annual observance of National Small Business Week in Washington, D.C. [May 23-25]. The event honors the nation’s most outstanding entrepreneurs, and features the announcement of the National Small Business Person of the Year for 2010 from among the 53 state small-business winners, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.

President Obama will meet with Small Business Week 2010 award winners at the White House on Tuesday, May 25.

"Small-business owners embody the spirit of entrepreneurship and strong work ethic that lie at the heart of the American dream," President Obama proclaimed. "They are the backbone of our Nation's economy, they employ tens of millions of workers, and, in the past 15 years, they have created the majority of new private-sector jobs. During Small Business Week, we reaffirm our support for America's small businesses and celebrate the proud tradition of private enterprise they represent.

"Our Nation is still emerging from one of the worst recessions in our history, and small businesses were among the hardest hit. From mom-and-pop stores to high-tech start-ups, countless small businesses have been forced to lay off employees or shut their doors entirely. In these difficult times, we must do all we can to help these firms recover from the recession and put Americans back to work. Our Government cannot guarantee a company's success, but it can help create market conditions that allow small businesses to thrive.

"My Administration is committed to helping small businesses drive our economy toward recovery and long-term growth. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has supported billions of dollars in loans and federal contracts for small businesses across the country. The Affordable Care Act makes it easier for small-business owners to provide health insurance to their employees, and gives entrepreneurs the security they need to innovate and take risks. We have also enacted new tax cuts and tax credits for small firms. Still, we must do more to empower these companies.

"In this year's State of the Union Address, I proposed creating a $30 billion lending fund to help increase the flow of credit to small businesses, and I call on the Congress to pass this legislation quickly. My Administration is also working to extend and enhance Small Business Administration programs that have helped small-business owners acquire loans and hire workers.

"This week, we celebrate the role of entrepreneurs and small businesses in our national life. They are the engine of our prosperity and a proud reflection of our character. A healthy small-business sector will give us vibrant communities, cutting-edge technology, and an American economy that can compete and win in the 21st century."

National Small Business Week 2010 will begin with two-and-a-half days of events in Washington, D.C., at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where more than 100 outstanding business owners from across the country will be recognized. In addition to the State Small Business Persons of the Year, men and women involved in disaster recovery, government contracting, small-business champions, as well as SBA partners in financial and entrepreneurial development, will be honored.

A keynote address by SBA Administrator Karen Mills will highlight Monday morning’s agenda, followed by Mills hosting a town hall meeting entitled "Small Business: Driving America’s Economy." Also featured are a series of executive panel forums on innovation, exporting and social media.

Among the featured speakers confirmed are The Honorable Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and The Honorable RayLaHood, Secretary of Transportation. A list of other outstanding speakers -- including prominent business leaders, CEOs and politicos -- are listed with the week's full agenda at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/.

The public can "attend" Small Business Week events virtually, via the SBA’s streaming video on the Web at http://www.NationalSmallBusinessWeek.com/.

Small Business Week 2010 sponsors and co-sponsors include: Sam’s Club, Visa, Ford, ADP, Raytheon, Cbeyond, UPS, Intuit, Google, eBay, AT&T, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, D&B, Verio, Nomadic Display, ASBDC, NADCO, NAGGL, NASE, NSBA, WIPP and SCORE.

The full text of President Obama’s Small Business Week proclamation can be found at: http://bit.ly/Proclamation2010.

To learn about Small Business Week events in your area, go to: http://bit.ly/SmallBizRegion.

To view highlights of National Small Business Week 2009 events, visit: http://bit.ly/SmallBizWeek2009.

To stay informed about SBA's efforts to simultaneously promote entrepreneurship and economic recovery, bookmark the following URL: http://bit.ly/RecoverySBA.

SOURCES: U.S. Small Business Administration, The White House
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SBA Proposes Higher Surety Bond Guarantees to Help Small Businesses Secure Larger Contracts in Disaster Areas

This morning, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that it has proposed changes -- including higher surety bond guarantee limits -- that will help construction and service-sector firms secure larger contracts for work in areas impacted by disasters; e.g, BP's Gulf Coast oil-spill disaster.

The proposed changes, which were published as part of a Proposed Rule in the Federal Register on April 26, include:

* For a non-federal contract or order up to $5 million, a bond guarantee may be issued if the products will be manufactured, or the services are performed, in the disaster area.

* For a federal contract or order up to $5 million, the performance site can be outside the disaster area if the contract or order will directly assist the disaster-recovery efforts.

* For a federal contract or order, the amount of the guarantee can be as much as $10 million at the request of the head of an agency that is involved in reconstruction efforts.

"These proposed changes are one more way we can help small businesses -- particularly in the construction and service sectors -- compete for and win critical contracting opportunities that help them grow their business and create jobs," said SBA Administrator Karen Mills [pictured]. "Additionally, these proposals would help spur economic growth and recovery in areas that have been hard-hit by disasters, bringing jobs and economic activity to a region at a time when it is needed most."

The proposed changes are related to the Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act of 2008, which increases the eligible amount for contracts or orders related to a major disaster area. These proposals build on increases to surety bond guarantees made possible under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The major disaster areas are identified on the Federal Emergency Management Agency website: http://www.fema.gov/.

Generally, the increased amounts would apply during the 12 months following the disaster declaration, unless SBA provides for an extension related to a particular disaster.

In addition to the disaster-related proposals, the Proposed Rule clarifies SBA’s position that it does not cover any costs related to insurance or indemnification requirements that may be contained in the bonded contract. It specifically excludes from the losses covered by SBA any costs that arise from the principal’s failure to secure and maintain insurance that result from any claims or judgments that exceed the amount of insurance coverage, and that arise from an agreement by the principal to indemnify the contractor or any other persons.

SBA partners with the surety industry to help small businesses that would otherwise be unable to obtain bonding in the traditional commercial marketplace. Under the partnership, SBA provides a guarantee to the participating surety company of between 70 and 90 percent of the bond amount.

Through its Surety Bond Guarantee Program, SBA also helps owners by guaranteeing bid, payment and performance bonds to protect the project owner against financial loss if a contractor defaults or fails to perform.

The Proposed Rule is available for public inspection at the Federal Register: http://bit.ly/ProposedRuleDisasters.

Comments on these proposed changes must be received on or before May 26, 2010, and can be submitted at http://www.regulations.gov/, or mailed or hand-delivered to Office of Surety Guarantees, Suite 8600, 409 Third Street SW, Washington, DC 20416. SBA will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov/.

SBA assistance in locating a participating surety company or agent, and completing application forms, is available online. For more information on SBA’s Surety Bond Guarantee Program, including Surety Office contacts, go online to http://www.sba.gov/osg/, or call 1-800-U-ASK-SBA.

SOURCES: Library of Congress, U.S. Small Business Administration
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