Acquisition Hour: Federal Small Business Certification Programs for Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB) /8(A) – and Businesses Located In Historically Underutilized Areas – HUBZone

1)  The Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program helps small businesses in designated urban and rural communities gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities. The HUBZone program qualifies your business to compete for the program’s set-aside contracts. HUBZone-certified businesses also receives a 10% price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions. A business must be certified by the U.S. SBA to qualify for this program, and must be registered in SAM prior to submission of the certification documentation.  Currently, many Federal agencies and Federal Prime contractors are NOT meeting their HUBZone goals. This could be a potential opportunity for your business.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• HUBZone certification requirements
• Benefits of and applying for an SBA HUBZone certification
• HUBZone certification costs and terms
• Process and cost of renewing your HUBZone certification

2)  Businesses that are considered Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB) due to social and economic disadvantage may qualify for certification under the 8(a) program. This presentation is recommended for any small business that may qualify as socially and economically disadvantaged, and wants to take advantage of the benefits of the 8(a) program.  While there is no goal for the 8(a) program, the SBA supports a goal of 5% set aside for SDB. The 8(a) program is not a minority business program, but has many benefits that include preference in contracting such as set aside or sole source contracts, preferential teaming agreements and focused business development training.

During the presentation we will discuss:

• What is SDB?
• Eligibility Criteria
• The Application Process
• Program Benefits
• What is expected from an 8(a) participant

Presenters:

• Shane Mahaffy, Lead Business Opportunity Specialist, U.S. Small Business Administration
• Benjamin Blanc, Government Contract Specialist, Wisconsin Procurement Institute

This webinar is eligible for 1 CPE credit.

To view a schedule of all upcoming webinars CLICK HERE.