WOSB certification in New York

To get WOSB certified in New York, register in SAM.gov, confirm you meet SBA's rules for small businesses at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens, and apply free on MySBA Certifications. Empire APEX Accelerator (NYSTEC, upstate counties) helps New York businesses apply at no cost.

1. 01

   Register in SAM.gov

   Every certification and federal award needs an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID. Registration is free and must be renewed every 365 days.^[1]

2. 02

   Check WOSB eligibility

   The business must be small and at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens; women must manage day-to-day operations and make long-term decisions.^[3]

3. 03

   Get free help in New York

   Empire APEX Accelerator (NYSTEC, upstate counties) or LaGuardia APEX Accelerator (LaGuardia Community College, New York City): free counseling on SAM.gov, certification and bidding.^[11][12]

4. 04

   Apply on MySBA Certifications

   SBA's application at certifications.sba.gov is free; approved third-party certifiers charge a fee.^[2]

5. 05

   Register with New York too

   WOSB covers federal contracts. To sell to New York agencies, register on Statewide Financial System vendor registration plus a free NYSCR account (free).

6. 06

   Add the New York certification

   Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE), through Empire State Development.^[13]

APEX Accelerators, funded by the Department of Defense, help with registration, certification and bids. SBA district offices run certification outreach and answer program questions.

APEX Accelerators

• Empire APEX Accelerator (NYSTEC, upstate counties)
• LaGuardia APEX Accelerator (LaGuardia Community College, New York City)

SBA district offices

• SBA Buffalo District Office
• SBA Metro New York District Office
• SBA Syracuse District Office

New York certifies its own programs separately from SBA, for New York state contracts. WOSB does not carry over automatically; apply to this one on its own terms:

• Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE), Empire State Development. Agencies may buy from certified MWBEs up to $1.5 million without a formal competitive bid.^[13]

Highway, transit and airport contracts paid with U.S. DOT funds use Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certification, issued in New York by the New York State Unified Certification Program (NYSUCP) (NYSDOT with the MTA, NFTA and Port Authority). It is separate from WOSB. Since October 3, 2025, DBE applicants no longer qualify by race or sex presumption: each owner submits a personal narrative of disadvantage and a personal net worth statement, under a $2,047,000 cap, and existing DBEs are being reevaluated.^[15][16][17]

926 open bids in New York right now; 0 name WOSB in the title.

No open bids right now. Browse all open bids

• WOSB and EDWOSB set-asides are allowed only in NAICS codes SBA lists as underrepresented for women-owned firms.^[3]
• Sole-source awards are allowed up to $8.5 million for manufacturing and $5.5 million for other work when two or more offers are not expected.^[5]
• The government-wide goal is 5% of prime contract dollars to women-owned small businesses.^[3]

1. sam.gov/entity-registration
2. certifications.sba.gov/
3. sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/women-owned-small-business-federal-contract-program
4. federalregister.gov/documents/2020/05/11/2020-09022/
5. acquisition.gov/far/19.1506
6. acquisition.gov/far/2.101
7. uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section644&num=0&edition=prelim
8. sba.gov/district/buffalo
9. sba.gov/district/metro-new-york
10. sba.gov/district/syracuse
11. empireapex.com/
12. laguardia.edu/ce/business-services/apex-accelerators/
13. esd.ny.gov/doing-business-ny/mwbe
14. ogs.ny.gov/veterans
15. nysucp.newnycontracts.com/
16. federalregister.gov/documents/2025/10/03/2025-19460/
17. transportation.gov/mission/civil-rights/disadvantaged-business-enterprise/september-2026-final-rule