On August 23, 2024, the Small Business Administration (SBA) published a proposed rule that would make changes to its regulations for the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program to clarify certain policies. In 2019, SBA made significant revisions to these regulations to enhance the program’s efficiency and effectiveness. The proposed rule aims to further clarify and refine some of these changes, particularly by requiring that any certified HUBZone small business to be eligible as of the date of offer for any HUBZone contract. Additionally, the rule proposes several amendments to SBA’s size and 8(a) Business Development (BD) regulations, along with technical adjustments to the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) programs.Top of FormBottom of Form Public comments on SBA’s proposals are currently due by October 7, 2024. Government contractors that participate in any of SBA’s small business programs should take note of the proposed changes and consider whether to address them through public comment.
There is a lot to unpack in this far-reaching proposed rulemaking. PilieroMazza’s Government Contracts Group is actively analyzing the various proposals, and we’ll be releasing a series of blog articles on different aspects of the proposed rule over the coming weeks. The series will include blogs addressing SBA’s proposals for:
- the HUBZone program
- the 8(a) program
- negative control considerations and technical changes across the socioeconomic programs
- size and status recertification
- mentor-protégé, joint ventures and more.
Stay tuned for the first installments of this blog series soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this major new SBA rulemaking or would like to share your comments on any of SBA’s proposals, please contact Meghan Leemon, Partner of PilieroMazza’s Government Contracts Group, at mleemon@pilieromazza.com.
