Two of the Small Business Administration’s programs require the applicant to demonstrate that they are economically disadvantaged: the 8(a) Business Development Program (8(a) Program) and the Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business Program (EDWOSB). The 8(a) Program requires applicants to be owned and controlled by both socially and economically disadvantaged individuals per 13 C.F.R. § 124.101. Applicants of the EDWOSB program must be owned and controlled by one or more economically disadvantaged women per 13 C.F.R. § 127.200(a)(2). But what exactly does it mean to be “economically disadvantaged,” and do both programs have the same requirements? Below I discuss the economically disadvantaged requirement contained in both programs. Read on to find out whether they are the same, and more…
Naturally, many women readers may ask themselves, “If I qualify for the EDWOSB program, should I also apply for the 8(a) program, or vice versa?” The answer to that is two-fold. Although each situation is different, generally women who are members of a presumed disadvantaged group, as contained in 13 C.F.R. § 124.103(b), would benefit greatly from admittance into the 8(a) Program, SBA’s most longstanding socioeconomic set-aside program for federal government contracting. And the steps required for applying (as explained in this post) are fairly similar to those for EDWOSB.
Women who are not part of a presumed disadvantaged group would also benefit generally, but there will be more of a hurdle because the applicant must draft a social disadvantage narrative to demonstrate, among other things, that her distinguishing feature caused a social disadvantage that was chronic, substantial, and negatively impacted her entry into or advancement in the business world. Therefore, the question you must ask yourself is whether the reward of having a larger pool of solicitations to choose from is worth extra effort to be admitted into an additional program, and whether you could qualify as socially disadvantaged… Read the full article here.
