FAR 19.306—Protesting a firm’s status as a HUBZone small business concern.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 19.306 explains how to challenge a firm’s claimed HUBZone small business status and how those protests are handled during a procurement. It covers who may protest, when a protest may be filed, what the protest must say, how HUBZone protests interact with small business size protests, special rules for HUBZone joint ventures, where the protest must be submitted, what information the contracting officer must send to SBA, and what happens before SBA issues its decision. It also addresses protests in sole-source, set-aside, full-and-open with HUBZone price evaluation preference, and multiple-award contract order situations, including certain Federal Supply Schedule exceptions. In practice, this section is important because HUBZone status can affect eligibility for award, price evaluation, and set-aside/sole-source access, so a timely and properly supported protest can change the award outcome. It also makes clear that SBA—not the contracting officer—decides HUBZone status protests, and that unsupported allegations will not be enough. The section further highlights the need to separate HUBZone status protests from size protests, which follow different procedures even when both issues arise in the same acquisition.
Key Rules
Who may protest
For sole-source procurements, SBA or the contracting officer may protest the prospective contractor’s certified HUBZone status. For all other procurements, SBA, the contracting officer, or any other interested party may protest the apparent successful offeror’s HUBZone status.
SBA decides HUBZone status
The Director of SBA’s Office of the HUBZone Program determines whether the concern has certified HUBZone status. If SBA sustains the protest, SBA removes the concern’s HUBZone status in DSBS, and SBA’s HUBZone protest rules in 13 CFR 126.800 through 126.805 control the process.
Separate HUBZone and size protests
A protest about small business size status follows FAR 19.302 procedures. If a party wants to protest both size and HUBZone status, it must file two separate protests, although SBA will process the size and HUBZone issues concurrently.
Protest must be specific and written
All protests must be in writing and must state specific grounds showing why the concern did not meet HUBZone eligibility requirements at the relevant time. Bare assertions that a firm is not a HUBZone small business concern, without facts or allegations, will not be considered.
Special rules for HUBZone joint ventures
A protest against a HUBZone joint venture must explain either why the HUBZone small business member was ineligible at certification/recertification, or why the joint venture failed to meet the HUBZone joint venture requirements at the time of offer, or both if applicable.
Strict filing deadlines
Protests must be submitted to the contracting officer by the fifth business day after bid opening, after identification of the apparent successful offeror, or after receipt of the required notification, depending on the procurement method. Late protests are untimely unless filed by the contracting officer or SBA.
Certain subcontracting allegations are protestable
For HUBZone set-aside or sole-source service contracts or orders, SBA will consider protests alleging that a HUBZone prime is unduly reliant on a small subcontractor that is not similarly situated, or that the subcontractor performs the primary and vital requirements. Other-than-small subcontractor reliance issues are handled as size protests under the ostensible subcontractor rule.
Contracting officer referral duties
The contracting officer must forward all protests to SBA’s Office of the HUBZone Program by email and include specified procurement and timing information, such as solicitation number, protest dates, award status, and the type of HUBZone procurement.
Award may be delayed pending SBA decision
After receiving a protest on the apparent successful offeror’s HUBZone status, the contracting officer must generally withhold award until SBA decides, unless the FAR permits award before SBA’s decision under the applicable circumstances.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Receive HUBZone protests, determine whether they are timely, forward all protests to SBA with the required referral information, notify SBA of key procurement facts, and generally withhold award pending SBA’s decision unless an exception allows award. The contracting officer also may initiate a protest in sole-source procurements and must distinguish HUBZone protests from size protests.
SBA / Director of SBA’s Office of the HUBZone Program
Decide whether the protested concern has certified HUBZone status, apply SBA’s HUBZone protest procedures, notify the protester and contracting officer of receipt of the protest, and remove HUBZone status in DSBS if the protest is sustained. SBA also processes related size and HUBZone issues concurrently when both are properly filed.
Interested Party / Protester
File a written protest with specific factual grounds, meet the applicable fifth-business-day deadline, submit separate protests for size and HUBZone issues when both are challenged, and provide enough detail to show why the concern was ineligible at the relevant time. The protester must also follow the special rules for challenging HUBZone joint ventures.
Protested Concern
Maintain HUBZone eligibility and be prepared to respond through the SBA protest process. If the protest is sustained, the concern loses HUBZone status in DSBS and may lose eligibility for the procurement at issue.
Agency / SBA Size Protest Process
When size and HUBZone issues are both raised, process the size protest under FAR 19.302 while SBA concurrently handles the HUBZone eligibility question under its HUBZone protest rules.
Practical Implications
Timing is critical: HUBZone protests are usually due within five business days, so parties must act quickly after bid opening, notice of the apparent successful offeror, or other required notification.
A protest must be fact-based, not just a conclusory statement. Protesters should identify the specific HUBZone eligibility defect and tie it to the relevant certification, recertification, or offer date.
If both size and HUBZone status are in doubt, file two separate protests. Mixing them into one filing can create procedural problems even though SBA may consider them at the same time.
Contracting officers should not assume award can proceed once a protest is filed; they must check whether award must be withheld pending SBA’s decision and ensure the referral package is complete.
For HUBZone joint ventures and subcontracting arrangements, the details matter. Parties should review both the HUBZone eligibility of the member firm and the joint venture or subcontracting structure, because different rules apply to each issue.
Official Regulatory Text
(a) Definition . As used in this section- Interested party has the meaning given in 13 CFR 126.103 . (b) (1) For sole-source procurements, SBA or the contracting officer may protest the prospective contractor's certified HUBZone status; for all other procurements, SBA, the contracting officer, or any other interested party may protest the apparent successful offeror's certified HUBZone status (see 13 CFR 126.800 ). (2) The Director of SBA's Office of the HUBZone Program will determine whether the concern has certified HUBZone status. If SBA upholds the protest, SBA will remove the concern's HUBZone status in the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS). SBA's protest regulations are found in subpart H “Protests” at 13 CFR 126.800 through 126.805 . (c) Protests relating to small business size status are subject to the procedures of 19.302 . An interested party seeking to protest both the small business size and HUBZone status of an apparent successful offeror shall file two separate protests. Protests relating to small business size status for the acquisition and the HUBZone eligibility requirements will be processed concurrently by SBA. (d) (1) All protests must be in writing and must state all specific grounds for the protest ( i.e., why the protested concern did not meet the eligibility requirements at 13 CFR 126.200 at the time of the concern's application to SBA for certification as a HUBZone small business concern or at the time SBA certified or last recertified the concern as a HUBZone small business concern). Assertions that a protested concern is not a HUBZone small business concern, without setting forth specific facts or allegations, will not be considered by SBA (see 13 CFR 126.801(b) ). (2) Protests filed against a HUBZone joint venture must state one or, if applicable, both of the following: (i) Why the HUBZone small business party to the joint venture did not meet the eligibility requirements at 13 CFR 126.200 at the time of its application to SBA for certification or at the time SBA certified or last recertified the concern as a HUBZone small business concern. (ii) Why the joint venture did not meet the requirements at 13 CFR 126.616 at the time of submission of its offer for a HUBZone contract. (e) Submission of a protest. (1) An interested party shall submit its written protest to the contracting officer- (i) For sealed bids- (A) By the close of business on the fifth business day after bid opening; or (B) By the close of business on the fifth business day from the date of identification of the apparent successful offeror, if the price evaluation preference was not applied at the time of bid opening; (ii) For negotiated acquisitions, by the close of business on the fifth business day after receipt of the special notification from the contracting officer (see 15.503 (a)(2)) of the apparently successful offeror, including— (A) Orders placed under multiple-award contracts where the contracting officer requested rerepresentation for the order (see 13 CFR 126.801(d)(1) ); and (B) Orders set aside for HUBZone small businesses under multiple-award contracts that are not partially or totally set-aside or reserved for HUBZone small business concerns (see 13 CFR 126.801(d)(1) ), except for orders and blanket purchase agreements placed under a Federal Supply Schedule contract (see 8.405 and 19.302 (d)(5)); or (iii) By the close of business on the fifth business day after receipt of notification using other communication means when written notification is not required. (2) Any protest received after the designated time limits is untimely, unless it is from the contracting officer or SBA. (3) SBA will consider protests for HUBZone set-aside or sole-source service contracts or orders, if a HUBZone prime contractor is unduly reliant on a small entity subcontractor that is not a similarly-situated entity as defined in 13 CFR 125.1 , or if such subcontractor performs the primary and vital requirements of the contract. For allegations that the prime contractor is unduly reliant on an other-than-small subcontractor, see size protests at 19.302 , and 13 CFR 121.103(h)(2) , which treats the pair as joint venturers for size determination purposes (the “ostensible subcontractor rule”). (f) The contracting officer shall forward all protests with a referral letter to the Director of SBA's Office of the HUBZone Program, by email to hzprotests@sba.gov . The referral letter shall include the following— (1) The solicitation number; (2) The contracting officer's name and contact information; (3) The type of HUBZone contract ( i.e., sole-source, set-aside, full and open competition with a HUBZone price evaluation preference, or reserve for HUBZone small business concerns under a multiple-award contract); (4) For a procurement conducted using full and open competition with a HUBZone price evaluation preference, whether the protester's opportunity for award was affected by the preference; (5) For a HUBZone set-aside, whether the protester submitted an offer; (6) Whether the protested concern was the apparent successful offeror; (7) Whether the procurement was conducted using sealed bid or negotiated procedures; (8) The bid opening date, if applicable; (9) The date the protester was notified of the apparent successful offeror; (10) The date the contracting officer received the protest; (11) The date the protested concern submitted its initial offer or quote to the contracting officer; and (12) Whether a contract has been awarded, and if so, the date of award and contract number. (g) SBA will notify the protester and the contracting officer of the date SBA received the protest. (h) Before SBA decision. (1) After receiving a protest involving the apparent successful offeror’s status as a HUBZone small business concern, the contracting officer shall either- (i) Withhold award of the contract until SBA determines the status of the protested concern; or (ii) Award the contract if— (A) SBA does not issue its decision within 15 business days after receipt of the protest; and (B) The contracting officer determines in writing that there is an immediate need to award the contract and that waiting for SBA's determination will be disadvantageous to the Government. (2) SBA will determine the merits of the status protest within 15 business days after receipt of a protest, or within any extension of time granted by the contracting officer. (i) After SBA decision. The SBA will notify the contracting officer, the protester, and the protested concern of the SBA determination. The determination is effective immediately and is final unless overturned on appeal by SBA’s Associate Administrator, Office of Government Contracting and Business Development (AA/GC&BD). (1) If the contracting officer has withheld contract award and SBA has determined that the protested concern is an eligible HUBZone or dismissed all protests against the protested concern, the contracting officer may award the contract to the protested concern. If the AA/GC&BD subsequently overturns the initial determination or dismissal, the contracting officer may apply the AA/GC&BD decision to the procurement in question. (2) If the contracting officer has withheld award and the HUBZone Program Director has determined that the protested concern is ineligible, and a timely AA/GC&BD appeal has not been filed, then the contracting officer shall not award the contract to the protested concern. (3) If the contracting officer has made a written determination in accordance with (h)(1)(ii)(B) of this section, awarded the contract, and the Director of SBA's Office of the HUBZone Program's ruling sustaining the protest is received after award— (i) The contracting officer shall either— (A) Terminate the contract; or (B) (1) Make a written determination that termination is not in the best interests of the Government; and (2) Not exercise any options or award further task or delivery orders under the contract. (ii) SBA will remove the concern's designation as a certified HUBZone small business concern in the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS). The concern is not permitted to submit an offer as a HUBZone small business concern until SBA issues a decision that the ineligibility is resolved; and (iii) After SBA updates the concern's designation as a HUBZone small business in DSBS, the contracting officer shall update the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) to reflect the final decision of the HUBZone Program Director if no appeal is filed. (4) If the contracting officer has made a written determination in accordance with (h)(1)(ii)(B) of this section, awarded the contract, SBA has sustained the protest and determined that the concern is not a HUBZone small business, and a timely AA/GC&BD appeal has been filed, then the contracting officer shall consider whether performance can be suspended until an AA/GC&BD decision is rendered. (5) If the AA/GC&BD affirms the decision of the HUBZone Program Director, finding the protested concern is ineligible, and contract award has occurred— (i) The contracting officer shall either— (A) Terminate the contract; or (B) (1) Make a written determination that termination is not in the best interests of the Government; and (2) Not exercise any options or award further task or delivery orders under the contract; (ii) SBA will remove the concern's designation as a certified HUBZone small business concern in DSBS. The concern is not permitted to submit an offer as a HUBZone small business concern until SBA issues a decision that the ineligibility is resolved or the AA/GC&BD finds the concern is eligible on appeal; and (iii) After SBA updates the concern's designation as a HUBZone small business in DSBS, the contracting officer shall update FPDS to reflect the AA/GC&BD decision. (6) A concern found to be ineligible during a HUBZone status protest is precluded from applying for HUBZone certification for 90 calendar days from the date of the SBA final decision. (j) Appeals of HUBZone status determinations. The protested HUBZone small business concern, the protester, or the contracting officer may file appeals of protest determinations with SBA’s AA/GC&BD. The AA/GC&BD must receive the appeal no later than 5 business days after the date of receipt of the protest determination. SBA will dismiss any untimely appeal. (k) The appeal must be in writing. The appeal must identify the protest determination being appealed and must set forth a full and specific statement as to why the decision is erroneous or what significant fact the HUBZone Program Director failed to consider. (l) (1) The party appealing the decision must provide notice of the appeal to- (i) The contracting officer; and (ii) The protested HUBZone small business concern or the original protester, as appropriate. (2) SBA will not consider additional information or changed circumstances that were not disclosed at the time of the HUBZone Program Director's determination or that are based on disagreement with the findings and conclusions contained in the determination. (m) The AA/GC&BD will make its decision within 5 business days of the receipt of the appeal, if practicable, and will base its decision only on the information and documentation in the protest record as supplemented by the appeal. SBA will provide a copy of the decision to the contracting officer, the protester, and the protested HUBZone small business concern. The SBA decision, if received before award, will apply to the pending acquisition. The AA/GC&BD's decision is the final decision.