Thank You for Stepping Up!

Majority-Women-Owned Firms, thank you for stepping up to protect your fair access to federal contracts.

I want to personally thank the hundreds of majority-women-owned firms who stepped up to submit letters of comment in support of protecting WOSB / EDWOSB set-aside opportunities for legitimately majority-women-owned firms. We believe that Women-Owned Small Business and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business set-asides should be awarded to legitimately qualified firms.

The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce will be submitting your letters to the U.S. Small Business Administration on June 30, 2015.

Additionally, I have submitted this letter on behalf of the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

The SBA Office of Inspector General has filed a comment letter on this issue as well, stating: (1) The SBA Should Have a Certification Program in Place to Implement Sole Source Authority. (2) The Proposed Rule Increases the Risk of Program Abuse.

The SBA Office of Inspector General notes:  “Congress created sole source authority for the WOSB program in the same sentence that requires certification for participation in the program. The 2015 NDAA does not contain any language separating the new sole source authority from the program integrity component of the certification program. The certification program is intended to ensure compliance with program requirements.”

And, “Overall, implementing only the WOSB sole source provision without a certification program exceeds the SBA’s authority, and adds a potential program vulnerability without establishing a corresponding control. The Agency does not appear to have a reasonable basis for enacting only one of the two provisions. The SBA could, however, cure this defect by ensuring a certification program is in place before allowing sole source authority.”

This is a vital moment for the future of legitimate majority-women-owned firms. I need you to step up and protect your interests by completing and signing the online comment form. Without your voice, the SBA may continue to ignore Congress – – and, ignore you.

Sincerely,

Margot Dorfman, CEO
U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce