Fed Cetera to Provide Free HUBZone Services to Members

COLLINSWOOD, N.J. -- The Fed Cetera Network, a business development organization under 48 CFR 52.219-9, will now offer members complimentary consulting and filing assistance services to apply for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program. Fed Cetera will answer questions, assemble pertinent information, and submit initial applications on behalf of members. Here’s a link where small businesses can contact Fed Cetera to inquire about joining the network.

Federal agencies have a goal of spending 3% of all contracting dollars with HUBZone-certified small businesses. For example, The U.S. Department of Treasury has met its HUBZone prime spending goals every year since Federal Fiscal Year 2011, while the U.S. Department of Education has never met any prime spending goals for the HUBZone category since this small business contracting data has been publicly available through Federal Fiscal Year 2017, the last year for which data is available.  Check out links to SBA scorecards on these Federal agencies, which can be found on the Resources page of Fed Cetera’s website.  

A HUBZone program applicant must: 

• Be a small business.
• Be at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, a Community Development Corporation, an agricultural cooperative, a Native Hawaiian organization, or an Indian tribe.
• Have its principal office located in a HUBZone. (The Resources page of the Fed Cetera website includes a link to the look up tool.)
• Have at least 35 percent of its employees live in any HUBZone.

“We have seen an increased interest in this program, so we are responding to our members’ needs in this important area,” states Leah Wilson Conger, the organization’s co-operator. “We look forward to adding to our already-impressive roster of the most qualified HUBZone-certified small businesses available to Federal agencies and prime contractors with default collection needs.” 

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The Fed Cetera Network is a one-stop shop for Federal contractors, including ED PCA contractors, to easily find pre-qualified potential subcontractors, protégés, and joint venture partners who have the wherewithal to implement Federal subcontracts successfully.  The Fed Cetera Network has helped dozens of small businesses pursue and receive Federal subcontracts over the years, and has helped multiple small businesses find and gain approval for mentorships under the SBA All-Small Mentor-Protégé Program. Fed Cetera hopes to provide even more opportunities to its members by assisting them in the HUBZone certification process.

About Fed Cetera

Fed Cetera is a “business development organization” under 48 CFR 52.219-9 that PCAs contact when subcontracting opportunities are available in order to be fully compliant with Federal regulations requiring outreach to various sources of potential subcontractors. The company maintains a source list of qualified small collection firms, regularly markets to the PCA community, and provides advisory services around business development and compliance to firms operating in the federal market place.