The Small Business Administration announced the publication of a final rule to implement the federal procurement program for women-owned small businesses (WOSB) that has been a long time in the making. There are at least 83 industries where WOSBs are underrepresented among federal contractors, and the 8(m) program seeks to open up more opportunities for WOSBs working in these industries. To be eligible, the company has to be small under the primary NAICS code, be 51% woman-owned, and be "economically disadvantaged." It will take at least 4 months for the program to go into effect, circa February 2011. I wonder if there will be now a distinction between a WOSB and WOSDB (as in small disadvantaged business). This may have impact on teaming when you are a large business, and of course could give you a leg up if you happen to be a qualifying woman-owned small business.

Also, the government has lifted the thresholds for contract awards due to inflation.

So, here are the attributes of a great proposal manager (in no particular order - this is a stream of consciousness):

• The threshold under which contracts are required to be set aside exclusively for small businesses are now $150,000 instead of $100,000.
• Value of awards that can be sole-sourced to an 8(a) or competed among 8(a) firms is up from $3.5 million to $4 million (and from $5.5 million to $6.5 million for manufacturing). Same increases apply to the sole source HUBZone awards.
• SDVOSBs threshold for sole source awards is now up from $3 million to $3.5 million ($5.5 to $6 million for manufacturing).
• The prime contractor subcontracting plan threshold is up from $550,000 to $650,000 and from $1 million to $1.5 million for construction.
• Threshold is up for the evaluation of acquisitions for participation in the small disadvantaged business participation program from $550,000 to $650,000, and from $1 million to $1.5 Million for construction.
• A contracting officer's justification for other than full and open competition is now enough for awards that are $650,000 rather than $550,000 (unless the agency procedures require higher approvals).
• Another FAR provision amends various thresholds relating to the acquisition of supplies and services including construction, research and development, and commercial items, the aggregate amount of which does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. For example, the $100,000 threshold under FAR § 13.003(b)(1), under which the acquisition of supplies or services shall be set aside exclusively for small business concerns was increased to $150,000, and the $250,000 threshold for acquisitions for supplies and services that are to be used to support a contingency operation or to facilitate defense against or recovery from nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological attack and are awarded and performed or purchase to be made inside the United States, was increased to $300,000.

As always - if you need capture and proposal support, please, contact Alex Brown, service@ostglobalsolutions.com or 301-384-3350.

About the Author: Olessia Smotrova-Taylor is president/CEO of OST Global Solutions, Inc., a Metro Washington, DC consulting and training company that helps businesses grow by winning government and commercial contracts. She is a practicing capture and proposal manager who won more than $16 Billion in new business. She has 15 years of experience in proposal and capture management, marketing, and communications. Her self-study course, Executive Summary Secrets, sells worldwide. She is also an instructor in the upcoming on-site Capture & Proposal Management Courses that show how to position to win before an RFP issuance and how to write less and win more. Prior to starting her own consulting company, she won business for Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, and wrote for the Financial Times of London.

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