HUBZone certification in Washington

To get HUBZone certified in Washington, 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. Washington APEX Accelerator helps Washington 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 Washington office and employee addresses on the HUBZone map.^[3][4]

3. 03

   Get free help in Washington

   Washington APEX Accelerator: free counseling on SAM.gov, certification and bidding.^[10]

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 Washington too

   HUBZone covers federal contracts. To sell to Washington agencies, register on WEBS registration, plus statewide payee registration to get paid (free).

6. 06

   Add the Washington certification

   Minority-, women- and small business certification, through Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises (OMWBE).^[11]

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

• Washington APEX Accelerator

SBA district offices

• SBA Seattle District Office
• SBA Portland District Office (southwest Washington)

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

• Minority-, women- and small business certification, Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises (OMWBE).^[11]

215 open bids in Washington 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/seattle
9. sba.gov/district/portland
10. washingtonapex.org/
11. omwbe.wa.gov/
12. dva.wa.gov/veterans-service-members-and-their-families/veteran-owned-businesses