HomeMy WebLinkAboutDept. of Veterans Affairs0
December 2001
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
Washington DC 20420
D R' CL, 0
DEC 2 4 2001 D
CITY OF LAUREL
In Reply Refer To: OOSB
CITY OF LAUREL
PO BOX 10
LAUREL, MT 590440010
- ---Ladies-and-Gentlemen=__
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that your business address may
possibly be located in a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone),
making you potentially eligible for HUBZone certification under the HUBZone
Empowerment Contracting Program, enacted December 2, 1997, by Public Law
105-135.
If you are a small business concern, this information is important and could
potentially be of significant benefit to you. If you are not a small business concern,
this information may be potentially beneficial to your suppliers and subcontractors,
and they will appreciate your passing the information along to them. It will also
benefit large business concerns that are required to submit subcontracting plans
under their Federal contracts. Subcontracting plans for large business Federal
contractors must now include a HUBZone subcontracting goal.
Small businesses can benefit from HUBZone certification as Federal
contracts can be set-aside limiting competition to HUBZone-certified small
business firms. Authority now exists in some cases to make sole source awards
to HUBZone firms. HUBZone firms can also receive a ten percent price evaluation
preference under full and open competition acquisitions. In addition, HUBZone
firms can quality for higher SBA-guaranteed surety bonds on construction and
services contracts.
The HUBZone Act of 1997 establishes statutory HUBZone contracting
goals for Federal Departments and Agencies. Last fiscal year (October 1, 2000
through September 30, 2001), all Federal Departments and Agencies had a two
percent goal of total procurement dollars be spent with HUBZone firms. This fiscal
year (October 1, 2001 through September 30, 2002), there is a two and one-half
percent goal of total procurement dollars be spent with HUBZone firms. This goal
increases by one-half of one percent each year and caps at three percent in fiscal
year 2003. Federal Departments and Agencies are having difficulty meeting their
HUBZone goals because many small business concerns are unaware of this
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important program, their potential eligibility for the program and the benefits to
small business that come from HUBZone certification. HUBZone certification is
good for acquisitions conducted by all Federal Departments and Agencies, not
just VA.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is responsible for HUBZone
certification. -Detailed information on the HUBZone Program is available at SBA's
HUBZone Empowerment Contracting Program's World Wide Website
(http://www.sba oov/hubzonee). We strongly encourage you to visit this site to see
if you are eligible for HUBZone certification, and if so, to actively pursue your
certification through SBA. The process is simple, you can apply on-line and there
is no charge by SBA to become HUBZone-certified. For assistance, please
contact the nearest SBA District Office listed in the telephone directory under
United States Government.
We hope the information provided will be useful to enhance your
competitive standing in the Federal market place through HUBZone certification.
There is no need to respond to this letter as it is for informational purposes only.'
Remember, Small Business Builds America!
Sincerely,
Deputy Director for Small Business Programs