Can You Hold Multiple Certifications at Once?
Yes, you can hold multiple small business certifications at once. A firm that is, for example, both woman-owned and located in a HUBZone can be certified as both WOSB and HUBZone. A veteran-owned firm in a HUBZone can hold SDVOSB and HUBZone status simultaneously. Multiple certifications multiply the set-asides you can compete for, but they […]
HUBZone Recertification and Compliance: What to Maintain
Getting HUBZone certified feels like crossing a finish line, but it is really the start of an ongoing obligation. Certification is not permanent: the Small Business Administration expects certified firms to stay eligible every day they hold the status, and it periodically reviews whether they still qualify. Firms that treat certification as a one-time achievement […]
HUBZone Price Preference: How the 10% Advantage Works
Imagine losing a federal contract by a small margin, even though your firm is HUBZone-certified, and then learning that the agency should have evaluated your price as if it were 10 percent lower. That is the HUBZone price preference in action: a rule that can turn a slightly higher bid into the winning bid, without […]
HUBZone 35% Employee Rule Explained
Of all the HUBZone requirements, the 35 percent employee rule causes the most confusion, and it is also the one most likely to change between application and recertification. In simple terms, at least 35 percent of a HUBZone-certified firm’s employees must live in a HUBZone. The rule exists for a clear reason: the program is […]
How to Check If Your Address Is in a HUBZone
Before you apply for HUBZone certification, move an office, or count an employee toward the 35 percent rule, you need a clear answer to one simple question: is this address in a HUBZone? The answer is not always obvious from a ZIP code, a neighborhood name, or a map you found on a real estate […]
HUBZone Certification Requirements: Office, Employees and Map
HUBZone certification can open a valuable door for a small business that is based in, and hires from, a historically underutilized business zone. The federal HUBZone program, run by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), is designed to bring federal contract dollars and jobs into communities that need economic development. Certified firms can compete for […]