“The SBA’s HUBZone program can be a confusing program to understand and comply with. Keeping on top of the regulations requires keeping up on legislative and program changes on a revolving basis. The SBA has recently frozen the HUBZone maps and changed principal office rules. In a corresponding move, the SBA has updated the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section for the HUBZone program to clarify some details on HUBZone Program rules.
Here are some key points you should know about this latest FAQ update…”
“4. What if my company is doing things by telework due to COVID-19?
The SBA, for now, considers employees placed on mandatory telework to be in compliance with the principal office employee’s requirement. The rule extends to employees hired after the start of the pandemic. In order for these new employees to count, the firm must submit a written, signed statement to the SBA stating that the employee would have worked at the principal office prior to the pandemic. Should an application be in process between March 13, 2020 and September 30, 2021, the employee rule applies. This flexibility only extends until the end of September 2021, whether this will be extended is yet to be seen.
- Changes to the application and review process.
Validating applications has been reduced from 10 to 2 business days. Requirement to upload documents was reduced from 10 to 3 business days. The non-response closure date was reduced to 5 days, which results in the application being declined. In order to avoid this fate, be sure to respond to all SBA inquiries within 5 days of receipt, unless the document specifies a different timefram. Plus, the SBA is moving toward utilizing BOX for document uploads. We have utilized BOX, and much like Dropbox or other types of uploads, it does create a relatively easy format for uploading documents…” Read the full article here.
Source: HUBZone FAQ Update: Maps and Other Changes – By Christopher Coleman, September 23, 2021. SmallGovCon.
