SBA HUBZone Program

 

 Haralson County, Georgia is HUBZone Qualified and will remain eligible for HUBZone participation
at least until June 1, 2011.

For qualified small businesses, the SBA HUBZone Program offers an excellent opportunity to secure government contracts. Although the Small Business Administration (SBA) maintains the HUBZone Empowerment Contracting Program, all federal buying agencies are apart of the HUBZone Program and must abide by its requirements.

The SBA Reauthorization Act of 1997 created the HUBZone Program with the intestion of promotion economic development in historically underutilized business zones by establishing preferences for government contract in these areas.

Working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the SBA designates certain areas as being historically underutilized. These can include a qualified census tract, a difficult development area, a qualified county, a qualified Indian reservation, or a former military base closed by the Base Realignment and Closer Act (BRAC).

In order to qualify for HUBZone contracts, your small business must meet certain eligibility requirements. These are:

  • Your business must qualify as a small business under the SBA standards.
  • 51% of your company must be owned by citizens of the United States of America.
  • The principal location of your business must be located within a HUBZone.
  • 35% of your employees must live within the area of the HUBZone.

The SBA awards HUBZone contracts according to regulations set up by the Federal Acquisitions Regulation (FAR). The three basic HUBZone contracts awarded are:

  1. Competitive Contracts-This pertains to contracts where the SBA contracting officer indentifies two or more qualifying businesses that then must compete for the contract.
  2. Sole Source Contracts-In this instance, the SBA contracting officer determines that there is only one HUBZone qualified business that meets the criteria of the contract.
  3. Full and Open Competition Contracts-An open field where qualified companies can submit offers or bids and the best bid is accepted to do the job. HUBZone businesses are given preference in the contract process.

A business must apply to SBA for certification. Click here for application.