HUBZone Program 

Where did it come from? 

The HUBZone Program was established pursuant to the HUBZone Act of 1997 (HUBZone Act), Title VI of the Small Business Authorization Act of 1997, Public Law 105-135 enacted December 2, 1997. The legislation was a bipartisan effort between Senator Kit Bond, then Chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, and Senator John Kerry, the Ranking Member of the Committee.

Purpose of the Program? 

The HUBZone Program is intended to stimulate historically underutilized business zones through job creation and capital investment. It s intended to do this through the provision of federal contracted preferences to qualified small businesses located in any of the nation's more than 8,000 HUBZone areas. 

Criteria for Becoming HUBZone Qualified

	Must be a small business pursuant to SBA size standard;
	Must be owned and controlled by one or more US citizens, a Community Development
	Corporation (CDC), or Indian tribe;
	Its principal office must be located in a HUBZone, except for tribally-owned concerns;
	At least 35% of its employees must reside in any area designated as a HUBZone, except for tribally-owned concerns.

Ease of Application 

It has been estimated that an applicant firm can usually complete the entire application in less than two hours. Another part of the system allows a computer user who has submitted an application to check it at any time during the review process. This has proven extremely valuable to these firms, and contracting officers working with them, in tracking their progress. 

Work Sites can be Anywhere 

The location of the work site can be anywhere. In short, HUBZone contracts are not limited just to HUBZone areas. 

What HUBZone Provides

The program provides for set-asides, sole-source awards, price valuation preferences, and subcontracting opportunities for HUBZone small businesses. All subcontracting plans from large business federal contractors must include a negotiated HUBZone subcontracting goal. Subcontracting (FAR 19.1704) 

Evaluation

HUBZone provides all that 8(a) provides, and more. HUBZone approaches what 8(a) used to be like.