Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone)
The Department of the Army is committed to expanding opportunities for small businesses located in Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) to compete for prime and subcontracting contracting opportunities within the Army acquisition process. As HUBZone firms expand their capabilities, they also increase their ability to help fulfill the Army's priorities of Readiness, Modernization and Reform in support of the Warfighter. The HUBZone program gives procuring activities the authority to set acquisitions aside for exclusive competition among HUBZone small businesses.
The HUBZone program was enacted into law as part of the Small Business Reauthorization Act of 1997 for the purpose of providing federal contracting assistance to qualified small business concerns located in areas that historically suffered from low employment or low-income levels. The program is designed to empower those communities. The other objectives of the program include achieving the government-wide three-percent goal of total prime and subcontract awards to HUBZone small business, supporting the growth of HUBZone firms through outreach and technical assistance, and establishing procedures for collecting data on prime and subcontract awards to HUBZone concerns.
The Army has identified this program as a special focus. As a result, OSBP has hosted several outreach events to promote the HUBZone program and continue to participate in such outreach events hosted by other federal and industry organizations. As a result, in fiscal year 2019, the Army awarded nearly $2.4 billion to HUBZone firms. The Army continues its commitment to the HUBZone small business community by consistently awarding more than $1 billion in prime contracts to HUBZone firms annually.
HUBZone program qualifications
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, a Native Hawaiian organization, or an Indian tribe
- Have its principal office located in a HUBZone
- Have at least 35 percent of its employees live 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.
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