Proposed Rule For Women-Owned Small Business Set-Asides

On March 2, 2010, the SBA issued a proposed rule, with comments due in sixty days, aimed at implementing the statutory goal that 5% of federal contracting dollars go to women-owned small businesses ("WOSBs"). This rule provides for set-aside procurements for contracts under certain dollar thresholds ($5 million for manufacturing contracts and $3 million for other contracts) for WOSBs in the 83 identified industries in which they are underrepresented, a significant increase from the 4 industries identified in the 2008 proposed rule.