HUBZone certification in Tennessee

To get HUBZone certified in Tennessee, register in SAM.gov, confirm you meet SBA's rules for small businesses with their principal office in a Historically Underutilized Business Zone and at least 35% of employees living in one, and apply free on MySBA Certifications. Tennessee APEX Accelerator (UT Center for Industrial Services) helps Tennessee businesses apply at no cost.

1. 01

   Register in SAM.gov

   Every certification and federal award needs an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID. Registration is free and must be renewed every 365 days.^[1]

2. 02

   Check HUBZone eligibility

   The business must be small under SBA size standards and at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, a Community Development Corporation, an agricultural cooperative, an Alaska Native corporation, a Native Hawaiian organization or an Indian tribe. Check your Tennessee office and employee addresses on the HUBZone map.^[3][4]

3. 03

   Get free help in Tennessee

   Tennessee APEX Accelerator (UT Center for Industrial Services): free counseling on SAM.gov, certification and bidding.^[9]

4. 04

   Apply on MySBA Certifications

   Apply at certifications.sba.gov with your office address and an employee roster showing where each employee lives.^[2]

5. 05

   Register with Tennessee too

   HUBZone covers federal contracts. To sell to Tennessee agencies, register on Edison supplier registration (No fee listed by the state).

6. 06

   Add the Tennessee certification

   GO-BID certification (formerly Go-DBE), through Department of General Services, Governor's Office of Business Initiatives and Development.^[10]

APEX Accelerators, funded by the Department of Defense, help with registration, certification and bids. SBA district offices run certification outreach and answer program questions.

APEX Accelerators

• Tennessee APEX Accelerator (UT Center for Industrial Services)

SBA district office

• SBA Tennessee District Office

Tennessee certifies its own programs separately from SBA, for Tennessee state contracts. HUBZone does not carry over automatically; apply to this one on its own terms:

• GO-BID certification (formerly Go-DBE), Department of General Services, Governor's Office of Business Initiatives and Development. Covers minority-, women-, service-disabled-veteran-owned and small businesses.^[10]

16 open bids in Tennessee right now; 0 name HUBZone in the title.

No open bids right now. Browse all open bids

• Certified firms compete for HUBZone set-asides and sole-source awards, and get a 10% price evaluation preference in full and open competitions.^[3]
• The government-wide goal is 3% of prime contract dollars for HUBZone firms.^[3]
• There is no time limit on participation; firms recertify every three years, in the 90 days before the anniversary of certification.^[5]

1. sam.gov/entity-registration
2. certifications.sba.gov/
3. sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/hubzone-program
4. maps.certify.sba.gov/hubzone/map
5. ecfr.gov/current/title-13/part-126/section-126.500
6. acquisition.gov/far/2.101
7. uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section644&num=0&edition=prelim
8. sba.gov/district/tennessee
9. apex.tennessee.edu/
10. tn.gov/generalservices/procurement/central-procurement-office--cpo-/go-bid.html