Women-Owned Firms in Federal Procurement: A Focus Group Report

This report summarizes the results of focus group discussions held among women in two geographic areas: Washington, D.C. (specifically northern Virginia), and San Francisco, CA. The objectives of this qualitative research were five-fold: explore the paths these women took to federal contracting; learn about who or what helped them enter into the Federal procurement marketplace; discuss their past and current challenges in the market; explore their views on recent trends in federal procurement and how these trends are affecting them; and probe their ideas and suggestions for how to improve federal procurement system.