Get Ready for Woman-Owned Certification (WOSB and EDWOSB)

This course gets you ready to apply for the federal Women-Owned Small Business certification yourself, on the government's own free site. It covers the rules, the papers to gather, and each part of the application.

What holding it opens up

You can compete for federal contracts that are set aside for women-owned small businesses. A set-aside is a contract only certain kinds of business may bid on.
An agency can award you a contract without competition, called a sole-source award, when the rules for that are met.
Your certified status shows in SAM.gov and in the SBA small business search that agencies use.
The program only applies to the kinds of work on the SBA list of eligible NAICS codes. Certification lets you compete. It does not guarantee work.

Where you apply

MySBA Certifications (opens in a new tab), the government's own site. You apply there yourself.

Government fee

Free through SBA

Free when you apply directly to SBA. An approved third-party certifier may charge a fee.

Decision time

90 days from a complete application

SBA says it will decide within 90 calendar days after it has a complete application, whenever practicable. It does not review an incomplete one.

How long it lasts

3 years

Three years. You recertify in the 90 calendar days before it ends.

Who decides

SBA

The Small Business Administration (SBA)

Watch out

This is preparation, not certification.

You apply yourself, in your own account. We never sign in, apply or send anything for you.
The government decides. Finishing this course is not a certification. OpenBid cannot guarantee results.
Answer with your own true facts. An application is your legal statement to the government.
We never ask for a taxpayer ID, a Social Security number, a bank number or a password. Cover them in screenshots.

Rules as of October 2026. Rules change. The government's own instructions are what count.

No refunds once a course is opened.

A course counts as opened as soon as you open any lesson in it after paying. If you paid and have not opened it yet, contact us and we will refund it. See the terms.

Lesson 1 · Free

What this certification is and who it is for

About 6 minutes

WOSB stands for Women-Owned Small Business. It is a federal certification that says women own and run your small business.
EDWOSB stands for Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business. It is the same certification with three added money tests for the women who own the business.
It is for a small business that is at least 51 percent owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens. The women must manage the daily work and make the long-term decisions.
Holding it lets you compete for contracts set aside for women-owned small businesses. The government aims to spend at least 5 percent of its contract dollars with these businesses each year.
The program covers only certain kinds of work. SBA keeps a list of 733 NAICS codes, the government numbers for kinds of work. 626 are open to every WOSB and 107 are for EDWOSBs only.
Applying directly to SBA is free. You apply online at MySBA Certifications, the official site at certifications.sba.gov.
SBA says it will decide within 90 calendar days after it has a complete application, whenever practicable. The clock does not start until every required document is in.
SBA decides, and nobody else. OpenBid does not apply for you and does not certify anyone. This course gets you ready to apply yourself.

Watch out

You need an active SAM.gov registration before you can apply. If you do not have one yet, do that first.
Certification is permission to compete. It is not a promise of contracts, and no one can promise you will be approved.

What is in the rest of the course

6 more lessons

Lesson 2: The basic rules: small, women-owned, U.S. citizens
Lesson 3: Ownership, control and your governing documents
Lesson 4: EDWOSB only: the three money tests
Lesson 5: Two ways to apply: SBA directly, or a third-party certifier
Lesson 6: Deadlines and keeping your paperwork straight
Lesson 7: After you are certified: using it and keeping it

Am I ready? 10 questions the rules turn on, and what each answer means for you.
What to gather. 16 documents and facts to have in hand, ticked off as you go.
The application. 9 steps in order, and where people get stuck.
Sabrina, our AI assistant, to answer your questions and look at your screenshots.
Your readiness packet to print or save as a PDF.

The government's own pages

SBA Women-Owned Small Business program page (opens in a new tab)The plain-language rules from SBA, the list of approved third-party certifiers, and where to get help.
MySBA Certifications (opens in a new tab)The official site where you apply. It also has the help pages, checklists and an eligibility assessment.
The program rules, 13 CFR part 127 (opens in a new tab)The full regulation. It is the last word on ownership, control and the money tests.
SBA list of eligible NAICS codes (opens in a new tab)The kinds of work where agencies can use this program. You can download the list.
FAR 19.1506, sole-source awards (opens in a new tab)The buying rule for awards made without competition, with the current dollar limits.
SAM.gov (opens in a new tab)The government registration you must have, in active status, before you can apply.

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