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DISCOVER SET-ASIDE OPPORTUNITIES

Unlocking Government Contract Set-Asides

Find and win your next contract by leveraging set-aside opportunities. CLEATUS AI aggregates federal, state, and local contracts, helping you identify opportunities that match your socio-economic certifications, including 8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB, and HUBZone.

How to Find the Right Set-Aside Programs

A step-by-step approach to identifying and pursuing the set-aside opportunities that best match your business.

1

Determine Eligibility

First, assess which set-aside programs your business qualifies for. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides the official criteria for all programs, including 8(a), WOSB, SDVOSB, and HUBZone.

View SBA Requirements
2

Complete the Certification Process

Once you confirm your eligibility, you must complete the formal certification process. This is done directly through the SBA's online portals to gain access to exclusive set-aside opportunities.

Start SBA Certification
3

Search and Identify Opportunities

After certification, manually searching across multiple portals can be time-consuming. Using a centralized platform helps you quickly find relevant RFPs by aggregating and filtering contracts based on your specific certifications and services.

Search with CLEATUS AI
4

Analyze and Prepare Your Proposal

Effectively analyzing requirements and writing a compliant proposal are crucial to winning. AI-powered tools can significantly streamline this process by assisting with document analysis and proposal writing, increasing your chances of success.

Build Your Proposal

Why Set-Asides Matter

87%

Revenue Growth

within 2 years

3.2x

Contract Value

average growth

65%

Success Rate

transition to full competition

Types of Set-Asides

Find the set-aside programs that match your business profile

Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

FAR 19.5

Total Small Business Set-Aside

Most common type of set-aside
No additional certifications required beyond small business status

Partial Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

FAR 19.5

Partial Small Business Set-Aside

Allows for mixed competition on large contracts
Small businesses compete for designated portions

8(a) Set-Aside (FAR 19.8)

FAR 19.8

8

9-year program with developmental stages
Includes business development assistance

8(a) Sole Source (FAR 19.8)

FAR 19.8

8

No competition required for qualifying contracts
Dollar thresholds apply ($4.5M for manufacturing, $7M for other)

Historically Underutilized Business (HUBZone) Set-Aside (FAR 19.13)

FAR 19.13

Historically Underutilized Business

Must be located in designated HUBZone area
35% of employees must live in HUBZone

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Aside (FAR 19.14)

FAR 19.14

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business

Must be owned by service-disabled veteran(s)
Veteran must control day-to-day operations

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Sole Source (FAR 19.14)

FAR 19.14

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business

No competition for qualifying contracts
Dollar thresholds and fair market price requirements

Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program Set-Aside (FAR 19.15)

FAR 19.15

Women-Owned Small Business

Must be at least 51% owned by women
Women must control day-to-day operations

Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program Sole Source (FAR 19.15)

FAR 19.15

Women-Owned Small Business

Direct awards without competition
Contracts must not exceed specific dollar thresholds

Economically Disadvantaged WOSB (EDWOSB) Program Set-Aside (FAR 19.15)

FAR 19.15

Economically Disadvantaged WOSB

Must meet WOSB requirements
Owners must demonstrate economic disadvantage

Local Area Set-Aside (FAR 26.2)

FAR 26.2

Local Area Set-Aside

Promotes local economic recovery
Encourages participation from local businesses in disaster response
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Set-Aside FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Contract set-asides are government procurement opportunities reserved for specific groups, such as small businesses, women-owned businesses, or veteran-owned businesses, to promote diversity and inclusivity in federal contracting.

Your GovCon Growth Copilot

Find and win the set-aside contracts you qualify for

Aggregate opportunities from SAM.gov, state, and local portals in one place.

Filter instantly by 8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB, HUBZone, and other set-asides.

Use our Smart Bid Preferences wizard to surface your best-fit opps daily.

Leverage advanced search with NAICS, PSC, place-of-performance, and more.

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