WOSB certification in Washington

To get WOSB certified in Washington, 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. Washington APEX Accelerator helps Washington 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 Washington

   Washington APEX Accelerator: free counseling on SAM.gov, certification and bidding.^[10]

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 Washington too

   WOSB covers federal contracts. To sell to Washington agencies, register on WEBS registration, plus statewide payee registration to get paid (free).

6. 06

   Add the Washington certification

   Minority-, women- and small business certification, through Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises (OMWBE).^[11]

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

• Washington APEX Accelerator

SBA district offices

• SBA Seattle District Office
• SBA Portland District Office (southwest Washington)

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

• Minority-, women- and small business certification, Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises (OMWBE).^[11]

Highway, transit and airport contracts paid with U.S. DOT funds use Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certification, issued in Washington by the Washington DBE certification (Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises (OMWBE)). 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.^[11][13][14]

215 open bids in Washington 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/seattle
9. sba.gov/district/portland
10. washingtonapex.org/
11. omwbe.wa.gov/
12. dva.wa.gov/veterans-service-members-and-their-families/veteran-owned-businesses
13. federalregister.gov/documents/2025/10/03/2025-19460/
14. transportation.gov/mission/civil-rights/disadvantaged-business-enterprise/september-2026-final-rule