Guide
How to Find HUBZone Set-AsideFederal Contracts
The HUBZone program gives small businesses in Historically Underutilized Business Zones preferential access to federal contracts. If your business is HUBZone-certified, here's how to find awarded contracts in your industry, identify the agencies spending the most, and research your competition.
Check if your business is in a HUBZone
HUBZone eligibility starts with location. Your principal office must be in a Historically Underutilized Business Zone, and at least 35% of your employees must live in a HUBZone. Use the SBA's HUBZone map at maps.certify.sba.gov to check your address. HUBZones include rural areas, qualified census tracts, Indian lands, and areas affected by base closures.
Get HUBZone certified through the SBA
Apply at certify.sba.gov. You must be a small business (by SBA size standards for your NAICS code), at least 51% owned by U.S. citizens, and meet the location and employee residency requirements. Certification takes 60-90 days. Once certified, you must be recertified every three years and maintain your HUBZone employees.
Find your NAICS code
Federal contracts are categorized by NAICS code. Use the Federal Contract Tracker's autocomplete — type your industry (e.g., 'construction', 'IT services', 'manufacturing') and select the matching code. Knowing your NAICS code is essential for finding HUBZone contracts in your industry.
Search for awarded HUBZone contracts
On the Federal Contract Tracker, enter your NAICS code and select "HUBZone" from the set-aside filter. This shows every HUBZone contract that has been awarded in your industry — who won, which agency awarded it, and the dollar amount. You'll see your competitive landscape instantly.
Identify top agencies and track trends
Use the Spending by Agency tab to see which agencies award the most HUBZone contracts in your NAICS code. Visit the Trends page and filter by HUBZone set-aside to see quarterly spending patterns. Some agencies have strong HUBZone programs — the Department of Defense, GSA, and VA are consistently large HUBZone spenders.
Search HUBZone contracts now
Enter your NAICS code, select the HUBZone set-aside filter, and see every awarded contract in your industry. Free — 10 searches per day, no registration.
Search HUBZone contracts freeOther set-aside types
The Federal Contract Tracker supports all major set-aside types:
For socially and economically disadvantaged businesses
Women-Owned Small Businesses
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses
General small business set-asides
Frequently asked questions
What is a HUBZone set-aside contract?
A HUBZone set-aside is a federal contract reserved for small businesses certified under the SBA's HUBZone program. The program aims to stimulate economic development in Historically Underutilized Business Zones by giving certified businesses preferential access to federal contracts. Only SBA-certified HUBZone businesses can bid on these contracts.
What qualifies as a HUBZone?
HUBZones include qualified census tracts (based on household income and unemployment data), qualified non-metropolitan counties, Indian lands (including Alaska Native Village areas and Hawaiian Home Lands), qualified base closure areas, and qualified disaster areas. The SBA maintains an interactive map at maps.certify.sba.gov where you can check any address.
What are the HUBZone certification requirements?
Your business must be a small business by SBA standards, at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, have its principal office in a HUBZone, and have at least 35% of its employees residing in a HUBZone. The 35% employee requirement is calculated based on all employees, not just full-time — part-time employees count too.
How much are HUBZone contracts worth?
HUBZone sole-source contracts can be up to $4.5 million for services or $8 million for manufacturing. Competitive HUBZone set-asides have no dollar limit. HUBZone businesses also get a 10% price evaluation preference on full and open competition contracts, meaning their bid is treated as 10% lower when evaluated against non-HUBZone competitors.
What is the HUBZone price evaluation preference?
Even on contracts that aren't set aside for HUBZone, certified businesses get a 10% price evaluation preference in full and open competitions. If a HUBZone firm bids $110,000 and a non-HUBZone firm bids $100,000, they're evaluated equally. This applies only to contracts awarded based on price — not best value acquisitions.
Can I search HUBZone contracts from a specific agency?
Yes. In the Federal Contract Tracker, select "HUBZone" as the set-aside type, then use the Awarding Agency dropdown to filter by a specific agency. You can also use the Spending by Agency tab to see which agencies award the most HUBZone contracts in your NAICS code.
Where does this data come from?
All contract data comes from USASpending.gov, the U.S. government's official source for federal spending data. It is updated daily and covers all awarded federal contracts including set-aside designations.