Flathead County’s HUBZone designation status was scheduled to sunset on July 31st, 2018, but the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 that was signed by President Trump on December 12, 2017, extended Flathead County’s HUBZone designation until December 31st, 2021. This is excellent news for area contractors that are currently HUBZone certified as well as those that have been considering making an application for certification.
The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) program helps small businesses in urban and rural communities gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities.
The program’s benefits for HUBZone-certified companies include:
- Competitive and sole source contracting
- 10% price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions, as well as subcontracting opportunities.
The federal government has a statutory goal of awarding 3% of all dollars for federal prime contracts to HUBZone-certified small business concerns.
To qualify for the program, a business (except tribally-owned concerns) must meet the following criteria:
- It must be a small business by SBA size standards.
- It must be owned and controlled at least 51% by U.S. citizens, or a Community Development Corporation, an agricultural cooperative, or an Indian tribe.
- Its principal office must be located within a “Historically Underutilized Business Zone,” which includes lands considered “Indian Country” and military facilities closed by the Base Realignment and Closure Act.
- At least 35% of its employees must reside in a HUBZone.
For more information or assistance with the HUBZone program, please contact Doug Bolender – MWED’s PTAC Program Manager at (406) 257-7711 X5.