How to get WOSB certified, start to finish
The free SBA process, what it actually asks for, and the two places people lose months.
Guides
Federal contracting, explained honestly
Everything here is free to read and sourced from SBA, GSA and the Federal Register rather than from the guides that exist to sell you a filing service. Where a number expires, we say where it came from so you can check it yourself.
All guides
WOSB or EDWOSB: the one most people get backwards
EDWOSB sounds like the smaller certification. It reaches more contracts, not fewer.
Registering in SAM.gov and getting your UEI
Free, mandatory, and the step that gates everything else. Plus the login trap that catches everyone.
Finding the NAICS codes that actually pay you
Your code decides which set-asides you can see, which size standard applies, and whether you are small at all.
The capability statement, and why yours is being thrown away
One page, six blocks, no design budget. It is the document every contracting officer asks for.
Reading your first solicitation without panicking
What the sections mean, which dates are real, and how to decide fast whether to walk away.
Not sure where to start? Check whether your industry has a set-aside first. It takes ten seconds and it decides which of these guides is worth your time.