13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2009-01-01 2009-01-01 false What definitions are important in the HUBZone program? 126.103 Section 126.103 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION HUBZONE PROGRAM Provisions of General Applicability
§ 126.103 What definitions are important in the HUBZone program?

Administrator means the Administrator of the United States Small Business Administration (SBA).

AA/GC&BD means Associate Administrator, Office of Government Contracting & Business Development.

ADA/GC&BD means SBA's Associate Deputy Administrator for Government Contracting and Business Development.

Agricultural commodity has the same meaning as in section 102 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602).

Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) has the same meaning as the term “Native Corporation” in section 3 of the ANCSA, 43 U.S.C. 1602.

Alaska Native Village has the same meaning as the term “Native village” in section 3 of the ANCSA, 43 U.S.C. 1602.

ANCSA means the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, as amended.

Attempt to maintain means making substantive and documented efforts such as written offers of employment, published advertisements seeking employees, and attendance at job fairs.

Base closure area means lands within the external boundaries of a military installation that were closed through a privatization process under the authority of:

(1) The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (part A of title XXIX of division B of Public Law 101-510; 10 U.S.C. 2687 note);

(2) Title II of the Defense Authorization Amendments and Base Closure and Realignment Act (Pub. L. 100-526; 10 U.S.C. 2687 note);

(3) 10 U.S.C. 2687; or

(4) Any other provision of law authorizing or directing the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department to dispose of real property at the military installation for purposes relating to base closures of redevelopment, while retaining the authority to enter into a leaseback of all or a portion of the property for military use.

Certify means the process by which SBA determines that a HUBZone SBC is qualified for the HUBZone program and entitled to be included in SBA's “List of Qualified HUBZone SBCs.”

Citizen means a person born or naturalized in the United States. SBA does not consider holders of permanent visas and resident aliens to be citizens.

Community Development Corporation (CDC) means a corporation that has received financial assistance under Part 1 of Subchapter A of the Community Economic Development Act of 1981, 42 U.S.C. 9805-9808.

Concern means a firm which satisfies the requirements in §§ 121.105(a) and (b) of this title.

Contract opportunity means a situation in which a requirement for a procurement exists, none of the exclusions from § 126.605 applies, and any applicable conditions in § 126.607 are met.

Contracting Officer (CO) has the meaning given that term in 41 U.S.C. 423(f)(5), which defines a CO as a person who, by appointment in accordance with applicable regulations, has the authority to enter into a Federal agency procurement contract on behalf of the Government and to make determinations and findings with respect to such a contract.

County means the political subdivisions recognized as a county by a state or commonwealth or which is an equivalent political subdivision such as a parish, borough, independent city, or municipio, where such subdivisions are not subdivisions within counties.

County unemployment rate is the rate of unemployment for a county based on the most recent data available from the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. The appropriate data may be found in the DOL/BLS publication titled “Supplement 2, Unemployment in States and Local Areas.” This publication is available for public inspection at the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Local Area Unemployment Statistics located at 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Room 4675, Washington D.C. 20212. A copy is also available at SBA, Office of AA/HUB, 409 3rd Street, SW, Washington D.C. 20416.

D/BD means SBA's Director, Office of Business Development;

D/HUB means SBA's Director Office of HUBZone;

De-certify means the process by which SBA determines that a concern is no longer a qualified HUBZone SBC and removes that concern from its List.

Employee means a person (or persons) employed by a HUBZone SBC on a full-time (or full-time equivalent), permanent basis. Full-time equivalent includes employees who work 30 hours per week or more. Full-time equivalent also includes the aggregate of employees who work less than 30 hours a week, where the work hours of such employees add up to at least a 40 hour work week. The totality of the circumstances, including factors relevant for tax purposes, will determine whether persons are employees of a concern. Temporary employees, independent contractors or leased employees are not employees for these purposes.

Example 1:

4 employees each work 20 hours per week; SBA will regard that circumstance as 2 full-time equivalent employees.

Example 2:

1 employee works 20 hours per week and 1 employee works 15 hours per week; SBA will regard that circumstance as not a full-time equivalent.

Example 3:

1 employee works 15 hours per week, 1 employee works 10 hours per week, and 1 employee works 20 hours per week; SBA will regard that circumstance as 1 full-time equivalent employee.

Example 4:

1 employee works 30 hours per week and 2 employees each work 15 hours per week; SBA will regard that circumstance as 1 full-time equivalent employee.

HUBZone means a historically underutilized business zone, which is an area located within one or more:

(1) Qualified census tracts;

(2) Qualified non-metropolitan counties;

(3) Lands within the external boundaries of an Indian reservation;

(4) Qualified base closure area; or

(5) Redesignated area.

HUBZone small business concern (HUBZone SBC) means an SBC that is:

(1) At least 51% owned and controlled by 1 or more persons, each of whom is a United States citizen;

(2) An ANC owned and controlled by Natives (as determined pursuant to section 29(e)(1) of the ANCSA, 43 U.S.C. 1626(e)(1));

(3) A direct or indirect subsidiary corporation, joint venture, or partnership of an ANC qualifying pursuant to section 29(e)(1) of the ANCSA, 43 U.S.C. 1626(e)(1)), if that subsidiary, joint venture, or partnership is owned and controlled by Natives (as determined pursuant to section 29(e)(2) of the ANCSA, 43 U.S.C. 1626(e)(2));

(4) Wholly owned by one or more Indian Tribal Governments, or by a corporation that is wholly owned by one or more Indian Tribal Governments;

(5) An SBC that is owned in part by one or more Indian Tribal Governments or in part by a corporation that is wholly owned by one or more Indian Tribal Governments, if all other owners are either United States citizens or SBCs;

(6) An SBC that is wholly owned by a CDC or owned in part by one or more CDCs, if all other owners are either United States citizens or SBCs; or

(7) An SBC that is a small agricultural cooperative organized or incorporated in the United States, wholly owned by one or more small agricultural cooperatives organized or incorporated in the United States or owned in part by one or more small agricultural cooperatives organized or incorporated in the United States, provided that all other owners are small business concerns or United States citizens.

Indian reservation (1) Has the same meaning as the term “Indian country” in 18 U.S.C. 1151, except that such term does not include:

(i) Any lands that are located within a State in which a tribe did not exercise governmental jurisdiction as of December 21, 2000, unless that tribe is recognized after that date by either an Act of Congress or pursuant to regulations of the Secretary of the Interior for the administrative recognition that an Indian group exists as an Indian tribe (25 CFR part 83); and

(ii) Lands taken into trust or acquired by an Indian tribe after December 21, 2000 if such lands are not located within the external boundaries of an Indian reservation or former reservation or are not contiguous to the lands held in trust or restricted status as of December 21, 2000; and

(2) In the State of Oklahoma, means lands that:

(i) Are within the jurisdictional areas of an Oklahoma Indian tribe (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior); and

(ii) Are recognized by the Secretary of the Interior as of December 21, 2000, as eligible for trust land status under 25 CFR part 151.

Indian Tribal Government means the governing body of any Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, or other organized group or community which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians.

Interested party means any concern that submits an offer for a specific HUBZone sole source or set-aside contract, any concern that submitted an offer in full and open competition and its opportunity for award will be affected by a price evaluation preference given a qualified HUBZone SBC, the contracting activity's contracting officer, or SBA.

Lands within the external boundaries of an Indian reservation include all lands within the perimeter of an Indian reservation, whether tribally owned and governed or not. For example, land that is individually owned and located within the perimeter of an Indian reservation is “lands within the external boundaries of an Indian reservation.” By contrast, an Indian-owned parcel of land that is located outside the perimeter of an Indian reservation is not “lands within the external boundaries of an Indian reservation.”

List refers to the database of qualified HUBZone SBCs that SBA has certified.

Median household income has the meaning used by the Bureau of the Census, United States Department of Commerce, in its publication titled, “1990 Census of Population, Social and Economic Characteristics,” Report Number CP-2, pages B-14 and B-17. This publication is available for inspection at any local Federal Depository Library. For the location of a Federal Depository library, call toll-free (888) 293-6498 or contact the Bureau of the Census, Income Statistics Branch, Housing and Economic Statistics Division, Washington D.C. 20233-8500.

Metropolitan statistical area means an area as defined in section 143(k)(2)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, (Title 26 of the United States Code).

Non-metropolitan has the meaning used by the Bureau of the Census, United States Department of Commerce, in its publication titled, “1990 Census of Population, Social and Economic Characteristics,” Report Number CP-2, page A-9. This publication is available for inspection at any local Federal Depository Library. For the location of a Federal Depository Library, call toll-free (888) 293-6498 or contact the Bureau of the Census, Population Distribution Branch, Population Division, Washington D.C. 20233-8800.

Person means a natural person.

Principal office means the location where the greatest number of the concern's employees at any one location perform their work. However, for those concerns whose “primary industry” (see 13 CFR 121.107) is service or construction (see 13 CFR 121.201), the determination of principal office excludes the concern's employees who perform the majority of their work at job-site locations to fulfill specific contract obligations.

Qualified base closure area means a base closure area for a period of 5 years either from December 8, 2004, or from the date of final base closure, whichever is later.

Qualified census tract has the meaning given that term in section 42(d)(5)(C)(ii) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

Qualified HUBZone SBC means a HUBZone SBC that SBA certifies as qualified for federal contracting assistance under the HUBZone program.

Qualified non-metropolitan county means any county that was not located in a metropolitan statistical area at the time of the most recent census taken for purposes of selecting qualified census tracts under section 42(d)(5)(C)(ii) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and in which:

(i) The median household income is less than 80% of the non-metropolitan State median household income, based on the most recent data available from the Bureau of the Census of the Department of Commerce; or

(ii) The unemployment rate is not less than 140 percent of the average unemployment rate for the United States or for the State in which such county is located, whichever is less, based on the most recent data available from the Secretary of Labor.

Redesignated area means any census tract or any non-metropolitan county that ceases to be a qualified HUBZone, except that such census tracts or non-metropolitan counties may be “redesignated areas” only until the later of:

(1) The date on which the Census Bureau publicly releases the first results from the 2010 decennial census; or

(2) Three years after the date on which the census tract or non-metropolitan county ceased to be so qualified. The date on which the census tract or non-metropolitan county ceases to be qualified is the date that the official government data, which affects the eligibility of the HUBZone, is released to the public.

Reside means to live in a primary residence at a place for at least 180 days, or as a currently registered voter, and with intent to live there indefinitely.

Small agricultural cooperative means an association (corporate or otherwise), comprised exclusively of other small agricultural cooperatives, small business concerns, or U.S. citizens, pursuant to the provisions of the Agricultural Marketing Act, 12 U.S.C. 1141j, whose size does not exceed the applicable size standard pursuant to part 121 of this chapter. In determining such size, an agricultural cooperative is treated as a “business concern” and its member shareholders are not considered affiliated with the cooperative by virtue of their membership in the cooperative.

Small business concern (SBC) means a concern that, with its affiliates, meets the size standard for its primary industry, pursuant to part 121 of this chapter.

Small disadvantaged business (SDB) means a concern that is small pursuant to part 121 of this chapter, is owned and controlled by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, tribes, ANCs, Native Hawaiian Organizations, or CDCs and has been certified pursuant to subpart A or B, part 124 of this chapter.

Statewide average unemployment rate is the rate based on the most recent data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor, Division of Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE., Room 4675, Washington, D.C. 20212. A copy is also available at SBA, Office of AA/HUB, 409 3rd Street, SW., Washington DC 20416.

[63 FR 31908, June 11, 1998, as amended at 66 FR 4645, Jan. 18, 2001; 69 FR 29421, May 24, 2004; 70 FR 51248, Aug. 30, 2005; 72 FR 50041, Aug. 30, 2007]