FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 19: Small Business Programs › Subpart 19.15
FAR 19.1500 General.
The codified text (eCFR, as of 2026-10-02). Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul ↗, agencies follow class deviations with new text for many parts while the formal rules go through the Federal Register: check the solicitation and your contract's clauses, which rule.
In plain English
This section introduces the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program, created by the Small Business Act. Its purpose is to give women-owned small businesses an equal opportunity to compete for Federal contracts and to help agencies meet their WOSB participation goals. It also notes that EDWOSB concerns and eligible WOSB concerns are subcategories of the broader 'women-owned small business concern' definition.
Applies to: Women-owned small business concerns and economically disadvantaged women-owned small business concerns
Key terms: Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program · economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB) concern · WOSB concern eligible under the WOSB Program · women-owned small business concern
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
(a) Section 8(m) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(m)) created the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program.
(b) The purpose of the WOSB Program is to ensure women-owned small business concerns have an equal opportunity to participate in Federal contracting and to assist agencies in achieving their women-owned small business participation goals (see 13 part CFR 127).
(c) An economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB) concern and a WOSB concern eligible under the WOSB Program are subcategories of “women-owned small business concern” as defined in section 2.101.
Sections it refers to
- 2.101 Definitions.
← 19.1408 Contract clauses. · 19.1501 [Reserved] →
Rule changes for FAR Part 19
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · final rule 2025-08-27 · effective 2025-10-01
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Small Business Participation on Certain Multiple-Award Contracts ↗ · proposed 2025-06-12
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Small Business Participation on Certain Multiple-Award Contracts ↗ · proposed 2025-01-15 · comments due 2025-03-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Subcontracting to Puerto Rican and Covered Territory Small Businesses ↗ · final rule 2025-01-03 · effective 2025-01-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Rerepresentation of Size and Socioeconomic Status ↗ · final rule 2025-01-03 · effective 2025-01-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Certification of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses ↗ · final rule 2024-12-16 · effective 2024-12-16
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · proposed 2024-11-29 · comments due 2025-01-28
- Federal Acquisition Regulation; Technical Amendments ↗ · final rule 2024-08-29 · effective 2024-09-30
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.