This program’s goal is to help small businesses located in an “Historically Underutilized Business Zone” (HubZone).
Unlike other socio-economic programs, such as those for Women or Veteran-Owned small businesses, the HUBZone Program has struggled to reach its goal of awarding at least 3% of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies.
Previously, the challenges for small businesses included an annual geographic re-certification, and the requirement that at least 35% of employees live in a HUBZone area.
This year the program initiated some changes to address some of these issues – HubZone maps will now be updated every 5 years, rather than annually; employees who live in a HUBZone for at least 6 months at the time of certification and 6 months afterwards will be considered eligible as long as they are employed by the firm; and if a business is certified at the time of a contract award, it will retain that certification for the life of the contract.