Skip to main content

Small Business Administration: Additional Actions Are Needed to Certify and Monitor HUBZone Businesses and Assess Program Results

GAO-08-643 Published: Jun 17, 2008. Publicly Released: Jul 16, 2008.
Jump To:
Skip to Highlights

Highlights

The Small Business Administration's (SBA) Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program provides federal contracting assistance to small firms located in economically distressed areas, with the intent of stimulating economic development. Questions have been raised about whether the program is targeting the locations and businesses that Congress intended to assist. GAO was asked to examine (1) the criteria and process that SBA uses to identify and map HUBZone areas and the economic characteristics of such areas, (2) the mechanisms SBA uses to ensure that only eligible small businesses participate in the program, and (3) the actions SBA has taken to assess the results of the program and the extent to which federal agencies have met their HUBZone contracting goals. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed statutory provisions, as well as SBA, census, and contracting data, and interviewed SBA and other federal and local officials.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Small Business Administration To improve SBA's administration and oversight of the HUBZone program, the Administrator of SBA should take immediate steps to correct and update the map that is used to identify HUBZone areas and implement procedures to ensure that the map is updated with the most recently available data on a more frequent basis.
Closed – Implemented
SBA stated that it modified its contract with its mapping vendor to enable more frequent updating of the HUBZone map. According to SBA, the first significant update of the map was completed in September 2008. After considering a change of contractors for a June 2010 upgrade of the map, SBA continues to use its original mapping vendor to update the map. Its most recent statement of work with that contractor requires the contractor to update the map annually. SBA officials stated that the accuracy of the map is checked multiple times after each upgrade. First, the mapping vendor tests the quality of the map before it is provided to SBA. Second, an SBA employee uses Maptitude to check the accuracy of approximately 1,000 HUBZone firm addresses each time the map is updated. In the few instances in which SBA has identified problems with the addresses, it sends those addresses to HUD?s Geocode Service Center to conduct further tests and works with the contractor to correct any discrepancies.
Small Business Administration To improve SBA's administration and oversight of the HUBZone program, the Administrator of SBA should develop and implement guidance to more routinely and consistently obtain supporting documentation upon application and conduct more frequent site visits, as appropriate, to ensure that firms applying for certification are eligible.
Closed – Implemented
In March 2010, SBA issued a guide for analysts to use when reviewing applications to ensure that they consistently request supporting documentation from each new applicant. In August 2012, it provided guidance showing that documentation required at application included business tax returns, proof of U.S. citizenship for owners, the lease or deed for the principal office, payroll records, and proof of residence for HUBZone residents. In addition to requesting supporting documentation from each applicant, SBA has conducted more frequent site visits of firms. Specifically, in 2009, 2010, and 2011, SBA conducted site visits of 911, 1,142, and 988 firms, respectively.
Small Business Administration To improve SBA's administration and oversight of the HUBZone program, the Administrator of SBA should establish a specific time frame for eliminating the backlog of recertifications and ensure that this goal is met, using either SBA or contract staff, and take the necessary steps to ensure that recertifications are completed in a more timely fashion in the future.
Closed – Implemented
SBA stated that it had eliminated the initial backlog of recertifications by September 2008. As of July 2012, it was using contractor staff to perform recertifications, but the HUBZone office had just received authority to hire 10 full-time equivalent staff to replace the contractor's staff, according to SBA . In addition, SBA provided data in July 2012 showing that the majority of the 836 HUBZone firms requiring recertification in 2011 had either been recertified or decertified .
Small Business Administration To improve SBA's administration and oversight of the HUBZone program, the Administrator of SBA should formalize and adhere to a specific time frame for processing firms proposed for decertification in the future.
Closed – Implemented
SBA issued a procedural notice, effective December 2008, that established a timeline for processing firms for HUBZone decertification. It stated that the entire decertification process from proposed decertification to final decertification should occur within 60 calendar days of the initial notification of the proposed decertification. Our review of decertification processing times in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 showed that SBA adhered to this time in the majority of cases.
Small Business Administration To improve SBA's administration and oversight of the HUBZone program, the Administrator of SBA should further develop measures and implement plans to assess the effectiveness of the HUBZone program that take into account factors such as (1) the economic characteristics of the HUBZone area and (2) contracts being counted under multiple socioeconomic subcategories.
Closed – Not Implemented
SBA has not begun to assess the effectiveness of the HUBZone program. In August 2008, SBA issued a notice of methodology in the Federal Register for measuring the impact of the HUBZone program. However, the proposed methodology was not well developed. For example, it did not incorporate expert input or a previous study conducted by SBA's Office of Advocacy. We do not believe that this effort was a useful process to address our recommendation. SBA has not taken any additional steps toward closing this recommendation. Specifically, in January 2012 an SBA official noted that they do not have plans in place to assess the effectiveness of the HUBZone program.

Full Report

Office of Public Affairs

Topics

ContractsData collectionData integrityEconomic developmentEconomic indicatorsEconomically depressed areasEligibility criteriaEligibility determinationsInternal controlsPerformance measuresProgram evaluationProgram managementRisk assessmentRisk managementSmall businessSmall business assistanceSmall business contractsDevelopment assistance programsProgram goals or objectivesProgram implementationGovernment-business relations