U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce | Reports and Statistics

Women-Owned Small Businesses Suffer Largest Federal Contracting Opportunity Loss in History

2009-08-25T02:00:00Z

FY2008 Contracting Misses Goal for Contracting with Women-Owned Small Businesses by Over Twelve Billion Dollars

Women-Owned Small Businesses Suffer Largest Federal Contracting Opportunity Loss in HistoryAfter more than a decade of failure to meet federal contracting goals with women, and nearly nine years of delay in the implementation of the Women’s Procurement Program, the recently released FY2008 federal spending report shows that women-owned small businesses suffered the greatest opportunity loss in history. FY2008 federal spending with women missed the paltry five percent goal for spending with women by twenty-two percent representing a shortfall of over $12 Billion in just one year.

“Federal spending increased over $300 Billion between 2001 and 2008, while the federal contracts secured by women-owned firms have seen shortfall after shortfall,” said Margot Dorfman, CEO of the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce. “And now, with the release of the FY 2008 data, we find that women-owned businesses lost over $12 Billion of opportunity in FY2008 as the federal government failed to meet the remarkably low goal of five-percent for contracting with women-owned small businesses. For more than ten years, the federal government has failed to meet their own goal. And for more than nine years, the Small Business Administration has failed to implement the Women’s Procurement Program which was established by Congress to assist federal agencies to overcome this tragic shortcoming,” added Dorfman.

>>Read the press release (PDF)

>>Read the report (PDF)

Healthcare Reform: An American Values Imperative

2009-06-02T03:23:00Z

Supporting individual quality of life and American business competitiveness through healthcare reform.

Healthcare Reform: An American Values ImperativFor more than a decade the American healthcare system has been careening towards a complete collapse reducing our quality of life, suppressing business growth and international competitiveness, and threatening our country's security. Over the last weeks, months, and years, our members have told us of the fears, frustrations, and financial hardships they have experienced as a result of our failed healthcare system.

One-third of all businesses in the United States are women-owned. And, as women-owned firms are generally smaller than male-owned firms, the huge and ongoing rise in the cost for healthcare has had a tremendously negative impact on women business owners, their employees and families. We hear from
our members daily that they support bold action to reduce costs, the flexibility to allow small businesses to pool resources to drive down costs, the creation of Health Insurance Exchanges and a government lead public plan to keep insurance carriers rate competitive, and to provide choice and affordability.

This report details how women are at special risk for abuse, lowered quality of life, and the suppression of business growth due to our American healthcare system's shortfalls and provides strong recommendations for reform from the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce.

>>Read the report (PDF)

Special Report: 2006 Federal Contracting Data Grossly Overstates Spending with Women-Owned Firms

2008-09-02T01:55:00Z

Contracting Data Reported by the Small Business Administration in 2006 Overstates Spending with Women-Owned Firms by Billions

USWCC | Report to Congress: Federal data grossly overstates contracting with women-owned firms(Includes 2007 update)

The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce delivered this report to Congress to shine the light on the challenges women-owned firms face in the federal contracting arena. For more than a decade the federal government has not met the paltry five-percent goal for contracting with women-owned small businesses (WOSB).

This report uncovers potentially billions of dollars that have been incorrectly attributed to federal spending with women-owned firms. These are not just anomalies. We have identified dozens of
firms that continue to be counted as women-owned when they are headed by male CEOs. The SBA does little to assure the veracity that a firm is women-owned, and Congress has done little to force the SBA to
support the very small businesses they are tasked with championing.

>>Read the report (PDF)

Women Business Owners Blocked from Fair Access to Federal Contracts

2008-01-02T02:27:00Z

USWCC | Report to Congress: Women Business Owners Blocked from Fair Access to Federal ContractsThe U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce provides a comprehensive report on the status of women-owned small business federal contractors and the Small Business Administration's seven year legacy of failure and subterfuge.

Even today, as women own nearly thirty percent of all firms in America, the federal government lags behind in doing business with women. Women lose billions of dollars every year as the federal government fails to meet the low five percent mark.

>>Read the report (PDF)

How the American Economy is Leaving Women Behind: Setting a New Course for Progress and Prosperity

2006-11-01T23:57:00Z

This brief was prepared by the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce to support the work of the USWCC | 2006 National Congress on the Economic Advancement of women.