Devoted to women of color in business

Back in 1994, Congress mandated legislation to allot 5% of government contracts to women-owned businesses, and to help meet this goal, a "set-aside program" for women-owned businesses was established in 2000.

Note that the numbers of women-owned businesses have exploded since then, but we've still seen abysmal results: only 3% of federal contracts go to women-owned businesses. Furthermore, laughably, the SBA recently proposed new rules that will only allow federal agencies to implement the set-aside program for women-owned businesses in four of over 2,300 business categories. Those four categories include: kitchen cabinet manufacturing, engraving, other motor vehicles and intelligence.

According to NAWBO, "if implemented consistent with the proposed rules, the set-aside program will do little if anything to increase the share of federal contracts that go to women-owned businesses."

"As a business owner and president of the only dues-based national organization representing the interests of all women entrepreneurs across all industries, I am disappointed that the Small Business Administration has, again, failed to be an advocate for women business owners," said Lisa Kaiser Hickey, NAWBO's president and president/CEO, Douglas Screen Printers, Inc. in Lakeland, Fla.

The SBA, by law, must hold a 60 day public comment period before the rule can be finalized.  The comment period ends February 25, 2008, so let them know your opinion.

link to SBA Comment Posting

Please join with me in posting a comment about this issue. Women are half the population:  let's make sure that federal spending gets increased to originally mandated levels and that all women business owners benefit.