Womenbiz.gov Launched

WomenBiz.gov - launched by Secretary of Commerce Norman Y. Mineta in a White House Ceremony on September 11, 2000 -- is the flagship of all government women-owned business outreach efforts.

The new gateway brings together in one site volumes of government information on federal acquisition and gives women-owned businesses direct access to the tools and government networks that will enable them to tap into the $190 billion federal procurement market. Streamlining access to the federal contracting marketplace has long been a priority of the women's business community.

"Womenbiz.gov and the Internet offer us--the government--a way to reach more women-owned businesses and to streamline the navigation of the Federal procurement system," Mineta said.

The National Women's Business Council (NWBC), together with the White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach and the Interagency Committee for Women's Business Enterprise, teamed up to develop this web portal. It will both streamline and provide interconnectivity among the thousands of dot-gov sites that offer information on and access to federal procurement opportunities.

The National Women's Business Council was created by Congress to serve as an independent source of advice and counsel to the President and Congress on issues of importance to women entrepreneurs. The Council has provided the women's business community with a seat at the policy making table and has addressed cutting edge issues of access to capital and access to markets that have posed the greatest challenge to women seeking to launch and grow their businesses.

Additional information about the NWBC is available at www.nwbc.gov.

For more information on the Department of Commerce, visit www.doc.gov.

September 11, 2000