Web site pitches contracting to women-owned firms

A new Web site designed specifically for women business owners debuted Monday at a White House ceremony.

The site, womenbiz.gov, organizes the information businesswomen seeking to contract with the federal government need in a single place. The portal was developed by a partnership of the Small Business Administration, the National Women's Business Council, the White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach, and the Interagency Committee for Women's Business Enterprise.

The purpose of the site is to "streamline and provide interconnectivity among thousands of dot-gov sites that offer information on and access to federal procurement opportunities," according to the Commerce Department. The site's resources could prove useful to any small business owner looking to contract with the federal government, not just women.

The site features an extensive subcontracting area, where users can view information about teaming on large contracts and other subcontracting opportunities. It also includes news, procurement forecasts, a calendar of events, mentor-protege opportunities and descriptions of best practices in women-owned business contracting.

The State Department was honored at the White House ceremony Monday for surpassing a federally mandated goal for purchases from women-owned small businesses. Executive Order 13157, issued in May, requires that at least 5 percent of the total value of all prime contracts and subcontracts agencies award each fiscal year go to women-owned firms.

The State Department awarded 8.3 percent of its domestic procurement budget to small, women-owned firms in fiscal 1999. The previous year, the agency awarded only 6 percent of contracts to such businesses.

The Small Business Administration, in response to Clinton's executive order, recently created an Office of Federal Contract Assistance for Women Business Owners. On Oct. 1, Sheryl J. Swed will become the assistant administrator of the new office, which will be responsible for keeping the womenbiz.gov Web site up-to-date and providing training to potential female contractors.