More Glitches for Women’s Set-Aside Program SBA now estimates the first contracts will be set aside for woman-owned businesses in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year. The final rule for the women’s set-aside program is effective Feb. 4, but some elements of the certification process are still not ready—the latest delay in a program that was approved by Congress more than 10 years ago. On Feb. 4 SBA said it will begin online distribution of forms that small businesses must file to be eligible. It will also begin accepting applications from organizations that want to serve as third-party certifiers. Women-owned firms may become eligible for the program in two ways: through an approved third-party certifier (when those are approved); and by self-certifying and filing documentation, such as articles of incorporation, to prove their eligibility. The repository for filing the documentation is to be open Feb. 4. SBA had previously expected to activate that website in December. To complete the certification process, companies must also register their status in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). However, SBA said those databases won’t be able to accept woman-owned businesses’ registrations until April, at the earliest. When all the infrastructure is in place, SBA said it expects agencies can begin setting aside contracts in time for the fourth-quarter buying rush. However, acquisition planning for many of those contracts will begin before the women’s program is actually open for businesses, raising some questions about how contracting officers can determine whether qualified woman-owned firms are available to perform a particular contract. Congress created a two-tiered women’s set-aside program. In the 45 NAICS codes where woman-owned firms were found to be underrepresented in federal contracting, set-asides will be limited to companies owned by economically disadvantaged women. Women were found to be substantially underrepresented in 38 NAICS codes; any woman-owned firm will be eligible for a set-aside in those industries. Competitive set-aside contracts are authorized up to $3 million, or $5 million for manufacturing. Woman-owned firms will have equal priority in set-asides with 8(a), service-disabled veteran and HUBZone companies. For more information about the program, including application forms and a list of eligible NAICS codes, go to www.sba.gov/wosb on Feb. 4 or afterward. A list of the NAICS codes is also available at www.setasidealert.com.