The Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program moved its certification process from the General Login System (GLS) to the SBA One Contracting Portal at certify.sba.gov in March 2016. This has streamlined the certification process for WOSBs and Economically Disadvantaged WOSBs (EDWOSBs). The website features a checklist to prepare for certification, an “Am I Eligible?” tool, and email notifications for expiration and renewal notices.
SBA has expressly stated that WOSBs may continue to self-certify, despite NDAA 2015’s removal of this option, until SBA implements this statutory change. However, given the clear statutory language and SBA’s pending regulatory changes to only permit formal certifications, WOSBs and EDWOSBs are encouraged to use one of the four SBA-approved Third Party Certifiers and upload those certifications to the portal rather than relying on self-certification.
While it currently only houses the WOSB Repository, the SBA One Contracting Portal will soon be the central system through which all of the SBA program certifications will be processed: 8(a) Business Development Program (Fall 2016), HUBZone Program (Spring 2017), and the new “All Small Mentor-Protégé Program” (October 2016). The Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) is also expected to move to the portal in Spring 2017.