Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone)

About the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone)

The HUBZone program is a federal small-business set-aside designed to stimulate economic development in historically underutilized business zones — typically rural counties, Native American lands, and areas with persistently high unemployment or low median household income. Federal contracting officers must award at least 3% of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified firms each year, so RFPs restricted to HUBZone participants are a meaningful share of the small-business pipeline across the Department of Defense, GSA, the Department of Veterans Affairs, USDA Rural Development, and infrastructure-heavy civilian agencies. HUBZone-only RFPs typically run through full-and-open 8(a) companions, allowing set-aside contractors to compete on price and past performance. Awarded set-asides often include economic-impact narratives in evaluation: agencies prefer firms that can create jobs in the qualified zone where their office sits. BidAuthority helps HUBZone firms draft proposal sections that address the program’s required economic-impact narrative alongside the standard technical and past-performance volumes.

Who Qualifies for Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone)

A HUBZone-certified firm must be a small business under its primary NAICS, be at least 51% unconditionally owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, and have its principal office located in a qualified HUBZone — a specific census tract, county, or non-metropolitan area that has been designated by SBA on its HUBZone map. At least 35% of the firm’s employees must live in a HUBZone — this is the rule that trips up many applicants whose offices are in a zone but whose staff commutes in from outside. The firm must also meet the SBA’s small-business size standard for its NAICS code and not be a participant in the 8(a) program simultaneously. There is no revenue cap separate from the size standard, but participants must recertify HUBZone status annually and report any change in principal office or workforce composition.

How to Get Certified

Apply at certify.sba.gov, which links to your SAM.gov registration. SBA requires a HUBZone principal-office address that matches the qualified zone map and a payroll roster proving that 35% of employees reside in any HUBZone. SBA processes most HUBZone applications within 60 days and may verify zoning, address, and payroll records via on-site visit. There is no direct application fee; budget for payroll-system reports, address documentation, and any property-lease evidence SBA may request.

There are currently 0 active HUBZone set-aside federal opportunities on SAM.gov. Use the list below to find a fit for your firm, then generate a fully compliant proposal draft in under 10 minutes with BidAuthority.