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EO 13157Executive OrderClinton · D Quiet signal

Executive Order 13157

Increasing Opportunities for Women-Owned Small Businesses

This executive order establishes a government-wide policy to meet or exceed a 5% procurement participation goal for women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) in both prime contracts and subcontracts. It assigns implementation responsibilities to federal agencies, the Small Business Administration, and creates a new SBA position to oversee compliance, reporting, and outreach.

Federal Register Open PDF 65 FR 34035

Impact dates

  1. Agencies to develop long-term comprehensive strategies to expand WOSB opportunities

  2. SBA semiannual evaluation of agency WOSB participation using FPDS

Key directives

  • Establish 5% government-wide goal for WOSB prime contract awards
  • Establish 5% government-wide goal for WOSB subcontract awards
  • SBA to create Assistant Administrator for Women's Procurement position
  • Each agency to develop long-term comprehensive strategy for WOSB expansion
  • SBA to evaluate agency achievement semiannually using FPDS
  • SBA to prepare report to President through Interagency Committee on Women's Business Enterprise and OFPP
  • SBA to develop single uniform federal website for WOSB procurement information
  • SBA to develop interactive electronic commerce database for contractor registration
  • Agencies to designate senior acquisition official for WOSB opportunities
  • Agencies to require contracting officers to include WOSBs in competitive acquisitions to maximum extent practicable
  • Agencies to implement mentor-protege programs including WOSBs
  • Agencies to offer outreach, training, and technical assistance programs for WOSBs

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

  • Policy established: 5% minimum goals for prime and subcontract awards
  • SBA required to establish Assistant Administrator for Women's Procurement position
  • Agencies required to designate senior acquisition official for WOSB outreach

Near term (90d)

  • Agencies must develop long-term comprehensive strategies to expand WOSB opportunities
  • SBA to begin semiannual evaluation of agency WOSB participation using FPDS

Long term

  • Ongoing annual goal-setting and compliance monitoring
  • Development of single uniform federal website for WOSB procurement information
  • Development of interactive electronic commerce database for small business registration
  • Agency action plans required for those failing to meet annual goals

Risks & tensions

  • Goals are aspirational ('not less than 5 percent') with limited enforcement mechanisms beyond action plans for non-compliant agencies
  • Section 9 explicitly bars judicial review, limiting private recourse for non-compliance
  • Effectiveness depends on agency discretion ('where feasible', 'to the maximum extent practicable') creating implementation variability
  • Vague timeline for strategy development and database/website creation with no hard deadlines specified
  • Potential tension between WOSB inclusion and other small business set-aside programs (8(a), SDB, HUBZone) for limited procurement opportunities
Executive Order 13157: Increasing Opportunities for Women-Owned Small Businesses · Executive Orders