Welcome to the HUBZone Program. I am pleased to advise you as that effective October 31, 2003 your application for certification as a "qualified HUBZone small business concern (SBC)" has been approved. Your firm is now eligible to receive HUBZone contracting opportunities, and will be included in the listing of qualified HUBZone small business concerns found on the Internet at http://www.sba.gov/hubzone.

The HUBZone Certification will continue provided that your firm remains in compliance with continuing program eligibility requirements and re-certifies, to SBA, that it remains a qualified HUBZone SBC. Within 30 days of your anniversary date, SBA will contact you to initiate the re-certification process. Failure to respond to this request for re-certification will result in SBA proposing the de-certification of your firm (13 CFR 126.100-500). Please be advised, at any time during your firm's participation in the HUBZone Program, SBA may conduct a program examination to validate program eligibility and/or continued program compliance (13 CFR § 126.402).

To apply for HUBZone Program certification, your firm had to be registered in the Central Contractor Registration/SBA Supplemental Page Information (CCR/SBA Supplemental Page Information) systems. For your firm to receive benefit from the HUBZone Program, that is, to be identified by contracting officers as eligible to receive HUBZone contracts and to be paid under any such contracts, it is essential that you update your CCR/SBA Supplemental Page Information records at least annually, and more frequently if there have been material changes in your firm. If you need assistance in updating your CCR/SBA Supplemental Page Information, please contact the CCR Assistance Center at 888-227-2423 or 269-961-4725, or the SBA Supplemental Page Information Help Desk at PRONET@SBA.GOV.

Although your firm was approved under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541330, this does not prevent your firm from being awarded contracts under other NAICS Codes, as long as the firm is qualified to perform. In this regard, please note that you are responsible for researching and identifying potential contracts that may be available through the HUBZone Program. However, the SBA can assist you in this effort through our Government Contracting web-site at www.sba.gov/GC. This site provides a wide array of valuable Federal contract marketing material, including identification of specific contracting opportunities and points of contact at SBA and Federal acquisition agencies. I encourage you to make full use of the very valuable information on this web-site. Also, although your status as a certified HUBZone concern greatly improves your access to Federal contracts, this certification does not guarantee contract awards. Your ability to research opportunities and bid competitively will be the key to your success in this program.

In addition to welcoming you to the HUBZone Program, I’d also like to supply you with this helpful link to a useful contracting tool. It’s the U.S. Small Business Administration's e-learning course Steps to Accessing Contracts & Subcontracts." The purpose of this course is to provide 7(j) eligible business owners – and this is group that includes HUBZone certified small business concerns -- with the keys to success for developing strategies to expand their markets to the Federal contracting sector.
Through this course you will learn about:

1. Extensive business opportunities that exist with the Federal Government
2. Strategies for selecting specific products or services to market to the Federal Government and how to find potential government customers
3. How the Federal Government procures products and services, and strategies for winning contracts
4. Managing a contract once it is awarded and building a solid performance record for your company
   
   Good luck in your business endeavors!