HubZone Application Tips You Must Keep in Mind
Are you looking to get into federal business marketplace? If so, are you familiar with the government certifications for small business? Did you know that Federal government has got its own business development program in order to help support the small business organizations? One such program is HubZone Certification, which is designed keeping the needs of the socio-economically backward regions of the state (identified as HubZone). If your business is located in one of the HubZone areas , getting a HubZone Certification is mandatory in order to start off a business with Federal Government.
Here
are few tips that you must keep in mind while applying for it.
Are you Located in the HubZone Area
Your
firm must be located within a Hubzone. Go to the SBA website and make sure this
is the case. If your organization has multiple sites then the SBA will deem the
firms primary location in which the firm has the most employees.
Before
considering your application for HubZone
Certification, the SBA will ask for a utility bill for the
location submitted that is within the HUBZone. The name of the company and the
address must be on the bill. If utilities are included as part of the lease the
SBA will accept a phone bill in its place.
Are Your Employees Living in the HubZone
35%
of your employees must reside within a HUBZone (this can be any HUBZone) at the
time of the application. The SBA will want to see a copy of picture ID for all
employees the firm claims.
A
firm must have 1 full-time employee in order to apply. For construction firms
one person must work within the HUBZone even if the majority of the work the
firm performs is outside of the HUBZone.
Other Regular Data
D&B
Information, CCR Registration, and HUBZone
Certification application must all reconcile. This means that the
exact same firm name must appear in all three locations. In addition to this
other critical information such as business addresses and type of work the
business engages in should be accurate as well.
Processing Time
. The
SBA processes HUBZone applications in batch, meaning a full week of
applications are dealt with at one time. The SBA HUBZone specialists then send
the company an email to the email account listed in the application and the
firm has 10 days to respond. If you are going on vacation check your email
remotely or have another person check your email. A company cannot submit
documents the SBA will request in advance and when the email comes it will be a
one time email that if not responded to immediately your HUBZone application
will be revoked. If the application is revoked the firm must wait 30 days and
then can reapply. This will delay the HUBZone process at least an additional
six months.
A hubzone certification can be helpful to
any small business that is attempting to gain access to government contracts as
it gives the business a 10% cost advantage over non-Hubzone or non-8a firms. If
your firm is eligible we highly recommend that you obtain your HUBZone now because
of the long delay in the hubzone certification process.
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