WIPP submitted comments today to the SBA Office of Policy, Planning and Liaison on the SBA Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) regarding certification in the WOSB Program that was issued on December 18, 2015. The WOSB Program is extremely important in assisting women entrepreneurs entering the federal contracting marketplace. WIPP highlighted the following principles to guide the SBA in their implementation of the changes to the certification process.

Please see a brief outline of the principles below:

• Third-Party Certification

                 -Keep the Integrity of the Program Intact – we are focused on making sure that    the changes to the certification process do not result in the disruption of the program.

• State and Federal Agency Certification

                 -Expand Acceptable Certifications in a Uniform Manner – if certification is being accepted from multiple sources then we urge the SBA to have requirements set up so that there is as little duplicative paperwork as possible.

• SBA WOSB Certification Program

                 -Without Adequate Resources, SBA Certification Will Fail WOSBs  

                 – Strengthen Compliance/Enforce Procedures

To see the submitted comments in their entirety, click here.