SBA HUBZONE PROGRAM

Category: Federal

The HUBZone program fuels small business growth in historically underutilized business zones with a goal of awarding at least three percent of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies each year.  The government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses in historically underutilized business zones. It also gives preferential consideration to those businesses in full and open competition.  Joining the HUBZone program makes your business eligible to compete for the program’s set-aside contracts. HUBZone-certified businesses also get a 10 percent price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions.  HUBZone-certified businesses can still compete for contract awards under other socio-economic programs they qualify for.  

To qualify for the HUBZone program, your business must:

• Be a small business
• Be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, a Community Development Corporation, an agricultural cooperative, an Alaska Native corporation, a Native Hawaiian organization, or an Indian tribe
• Have its principal office located in a HUBZone
• Have at least 35 percent of its employees living in a HUBZone

You can find the full qualification criteria in Title 13 Part 126 Subpart B of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). You can also get a preliminary assessment of whether you qualify at the SBA’s Certify website.

Apply to Get Certified as a HUBZone Small Business

Before you can participate in the HUBZone program, you must be certified by the SBA. Review the Top Tips for HUBZone Certification Tip Sheet and take these steps to get HUBZone certified.

1. Make sure you have a SAM.gov account.
2. Make sure you have a General Login System account.
3. Apply for HUBZone certification using the General Login System. Log in, select “Access” and then “HUBZone” before completing the prompts.
4. Check your email (including spam folder) for time-sensitive instructions to electronically verify your application within 2 business days.
5. Submit all requested supporting documentation within three business days; your submission cannot be assigned for eligibility review until all required documents are submitted. Be prepared to respond to requests for additional information from the HUBZone team within 5 business days. Failure to do so may result in a decline or withdraw of your application.
6. Check that your status was updated in DSBS and SAM. Within 48 hours of your approval, SBA will automatically update your status in DSBS and SAM.

Read the instructions from the General Login System carefully to make sure you provide all the necessary information.

NEW ELIGIBILITY WORKBOOK TOOL!

SBA is testing a new eligibility workbook tool designed to help applicants organize, calculate, and present information related to their principal office and employee residency. Filling out the workbook tool and uploading it as part of your application will help expedite SBA’s review of your HUBZone application. This workbook tool is available on a pilot basis through May 2021. We will be collecting feedback about the tool via email to hubzone@sba.gov. If you wish to utilize the workbook, please follow the link above, download it in Excel to your computer, input the information using the instructions on the first tab, save your completed workbook to your computer, and upload it with the other required documents as part of your application submission. If you have questions about the workbook tool, reach out to hubzone@sba.gov or join one of our open calls every Tuesday and Thursday from 2-3pm ET via toll free number:  208-391-5817; Conference ID: 278 449 067, where members of our team answer questions to help firms navigate the certification process.

Document Checklists

You will be required to submit different supporting documentation based on your ownership structure: 

• Corporations must be prepared to submit documents described in the Corporation Document Request. 
• Sole Proprietors must be prepared to submit documents described in the Sole Proprietor Document Request. 
• Partnerships must be prepared to submit documents described in the Partnership Document Request. 
• LLCs must be prepared to submit documents described in the LLC Document Request.