A Brief Intro into the SBA’s HUBZone Program

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The SBA HUBZone program is a federal program that was created to help small businesses located in historically underutilized business zones (HUBZone’s) gain access to government contracts. These zones are typically located in economically distressed areas, such as inner cities or rural areas, and are designated by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as eligible for the program. Sabre88 is headquartered in Newark NJ and has the intent to pursue a HUBZone certification.

Under the program, qualified small businesses located in HUBZone’s are given preference when bidding on government contracts. This can provide a much-needed boost for small businesses that may have otherwise struggled to compete with larger, more established companies. In addition to the preferential bidding treatment, businesses that are certified as HUBZone small businesses are also eligible to receive a 10% price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions.

To be eligible for the SBA HUBZone program, a business must meet the following criteria:

  • It must be a small business as defined by the SBA
  • It must be located in a HUBZone
  • At least 35% of its employees must reside in a HUBZone
  • At least 51% of the business must be owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, or a community development corporation, an agricultural cooperative, or an Indian tribe

To become certified as a HUBZone small business, a company must submit an application to the SBA, along with supporting documentation. The application process can be completed online, and the SBA provides assistance to businesses that need help with the process.

Once a business is certified as a HUBZone small business, it can begin bidding on government contracts. The SBA provides a list of current contracting opportunities on its website, and businesses can also find opportunities through the Federal Business Opportunities website.

The SBA HUBZone program has been successful in helping small businesses located in economically distressed areas gain access to government contracts since 1997. In addition to providing opportunities for small businesses like Sabre88, the program also helps stimulate economic development in these areas by creating jobs and supporting local businesses. Here at Sabre88 we are planning to apply for a HUBZone certification within the coming months, and if you are interested in learning more feel free to contact us. If you own a small business located in a HUBZone, consider applying for the SBA HUBZone program to take advantage of the opportunities it offers.

https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/hubzone-program

There is a Growing Demand in Government Acquisition

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In a recent conversation between Tom Temin, the host of the Federal Drive, and Larry Allen, the president of federal business partners, they discussed the rapidly increasing demand for government acquisition contracting officers. The state of government acquisition is stable but as we move forward in time the processes that were effective in the late 1990s and early 2000s are not adapted for the technological, sociological and economical advancements society has made since.  There are several things that contractors can do to assist government contracting officers optimize their procurement processes. However, awarding, auditing and managing a government contract, are all different governmental functions, that have different requirements. To manage all the aspects of acquisition, the U.S. government requires a well-trained acquisition workforce to do that. One of the byproducts of the procurement reforms in the late 1990s was a substantial reduction within the acquisition workforce ranks.

To satisfy the growing demand acquisition officials and government are trying to be flexible and innovative in how they attract people to the acquisition workforce. And once the people are in the acquisition workforce, there is great importance on the workforce retention. Regarding the importance of retention Larry Allen said.

“there are a lot of options for federal employees and acquisition is one where I’ve personally have seen many talented people start only to have them shift out and go into other areas of government. So you really want to try to not just get people in, but keep them in the acquisition workforce, which means they have to have some obvious career goals and some opportunities for advancement”

It is tough to recruit people today, whether it’s to acquisition workforce, jobs, or just about anything else in employment. Contractors need to knowthat they’re using innovative ways to hire candidates who are probably going to need a little bit more training than a traditional acquisition workforce member. Patience, and awareness on the part of the industry is going to be crucial regarding employment retention. One acquisition executive in a large agency said, in his experience, federal acquisition, federal procurement jobs are attractive to business majors that are leaving the colleges looking for jobs. There is certain personality that really likes federal procurement. It’s like a giant puzzle, or a big Rubik’s cube to solve, given the many procurement requirements. Tom Temin suggests that the government may not realize how to advertise what an interesting industry government acquisition can be.

Working in government procurement offers everything you might imagine. It offers the opportunity to negotiate a good deal on the part of the government. It also requires that you have substantial knowledge of what’s going on in different industry segments and requires that you keep your knowledge up to date. There’s a lot going on and government acquisition, and the people who stay in it long enough and have the opportunity for career advancement. They advance and they become household names. They are people who make the system work, they maintain the successful operation of the U.S. government.