Depending on your requirements, you may order iSimplify® professional services as a WOSB set-aside contract. The 8(m) program was developed by the SBA to allow socially and economically disadvantaged firms with expert capabilities equal access to business opportunities. The SBA enters into contracts with federal procuring agencies as the prime contractor, subcontracting the actual performance of the work to 8(m) companies. The 8(m) procurement cycle is significantly faster than any other means of contracting. When using the 8(m) contracting method, a program manager may simply select a firm as a suggested source and request that the procurement be pursued under the 8(m) program. As a reminder, the anticipated award price of the contract currently must not exceed the $4 million threshold.

Contracting officers (CO) are allowed to award sole source awards to WOSBs under appropriate circumstances. Essentially if, after conducting market research in an industry where a WOSB set-aside is authorized, the contracting officer does not have a reasonable expectation that offers would be received from two or more WOSBs concerns but identifies one WOSB that can perform at a fair and reasonable price, a contract may be awarded on a sole source basis. Federal contracts can be set aside for WOSBs through Sole Source Authority per FAR Subpart 19.1506 if the contract:

– Is issued under a WOSB eligible NAICS code

– Is valued at $6.5 million or less for manufacturing, or $4 million or less for all other contracts (including options)
– Can be awarded to the WOSB at a fair and reasonable price

– The WOSB concern has been determined to be a responsible contractor with respect to performance and,

– Is expected to have only one WOSB perform the work, as determined by the CO 

Since sole sourcing opened up, the government has sole sourced over $61M to WOSBs with $50M going to WOSB.