SBA Set-Aside Program
HUBZone Program
Set-aside program for businesses in Historically Underutilized Business Zones — must have principal office in a HUBZone AND 35%+ of employees living in HUBZones.
Who qualifies for HUBZone?
- Small business by SBA size standard for primary NAICS
- At least 51% owned and controlled by US citizens, an Indian tribal government, ANC, CDC, or agricultural co-op
- Principal office located in a HUBZone (check sba.gov/hubzone-map)
- At least 35% of employees reside in any HUBZone
What HUBZone gives you
- HUBZone set-aside competitions (only other HUBZone firms bid)
- 10% price evaluation preference in full-and-open competitions
- Sole-source contracts up to $7M (services) / $4.5M (products)
- Stacks with other programs (8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB) — double-coded firms get preference across all
How to get certified
Certifying body: SBA — apply at certify.sba.gov
Certification requires documenting ownership, control, size, and any specific program criteria (e.g., veteran disability rating, HUBZone principal office, economic-disadvantage net worth). Expect 60-120 days from complete application to decision — longer if your documents need revision.
Once certified, you'll be listed in SAM.gov's Dynamic Small Business Search with the HUBZone flag, making your firm discoverable to contracting officers filtering by set-aside status.
Common mistakes that kill HUBZone applications (and bids)
- Not re-verifying the HUBZone map annually (boundaries can redesignate)
- Falling under 35% employee residency after hires outside HUBZones (common as firms scale)
- Moving to a better office that isn't in a HUBZone
- Using 1099 contractors to inflate employee counts — only W-2 employees count
- Protest exposure when you bid on a HUBZone set-aside and a competitor challenges residency
Typical HUBZone contracts
Construction, manufacturing, services in rural and distressed urban areas. GSA schedule contracts with HUBZone set-aside clauses are common.
Check your HUBZone eligibility (free)
10 questions, takes under 3 minutes. Returns which SBA set-asides you likely qualify for — HUBZone plus every other program your firm may be eligible under.
Run the eligibility checker →Build a capability statement (free)
Once you're certified, a capability statement is the single most-requested document from contracting officers. Our free builder produces a clean one-page PDF in 5 minutes.
Start your capability statement →Other SBA set-aside programs
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