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Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Initiative

Fostering Meaningful Connections

As a university, we are committed to creating and fostering substantive relationships with Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs). The information below provides an overview of our efforts and how you can get involved.

Our Mission

A&M-Commerce remains committed to the existing policies governing the purchase and subcontracting activities that foster meaningful and substantive inclusion of HUBs. To ensure that A&M-Commerce makes available every possible procurement opportunity to HUBs, the purchasing services office encourages departments to actively solicit HUB vendors regardless of dollar amount or source of funds. A&M-Commerce is governed by the following HUB policies:

Goal

A&M-Commerce is committed to following existing policies governing purchasing and subcontracting activities that foster a meaningful and substantive inclusion of HUBs.

Objective

A&M-Commerce will award contracts and subcontracts annually to as many HUBs as possible. The university will always strive to include HUBs when soliciting bids from potential contractors and subcontractors.

Outcome Measures

A&M-Commerce will benchmark its progress by percent of total dollar value of purchasing, construction and subcontracts awarded to HUBs.

Strategy

A&M-Commerce will develop and implement a comprehensive plan to increase the utilization of HUBs and to foster new relationships and outreach programs with emerging businesses so that they may be a part of the HUB program. Internally, we will make our employees aware of the importance of utilizing HUB resources. We will continue our networking and attendance at economic opportunity forums and seek information from Chamber of Commerce and other HUB organizations.

Contact

For more information concerning the A&M-Commerce HUB Program, please call Travis Ball, HUB coordinator, at 903.886.5060.

Policy

In accordance with the Texas Government Code, state agencies shall make a good-faith effort to utilize HUBs in contracts for construction and services, including professional and consulting services and commodity contracts.

Mission

HUB’s mission is to encourage and effectively promote the utilization of HUBs by all state agencies, and to promote full and equal business opportunities for all businesses in state contracting in accordance with the goals specified in the State of Texas Disparity Study.

Administration

The State of Texas HUB program is administered and maintained by the Comptroller's Statewide Procurement Division (SPD). The SPD is responsible for the following:

Reporting state agencies’ HUB initiatives to the state legislature
Certifying eligible vendors who apply for HUB certification
Maintaining a list of HUB vendors for state agencies
Providing consulting services to state agencies and HUB coordinators
Assisting state agencies with good faith effort requirements

SPD is authorized by the Texas Government Code to promulgate rules governing both the responsibilities of agencies and vendors relative to HUB statutory provisions.

HUB Vendor Classification

To be classified as a HUB vendor, a business must be a corporation, sole proprietorship, partnership, or joint venture in which at least 51% of the business is owned, operated and actively controlled or managed by a minority or woman. The state of Texas classifies such businesses as:

Woman-Owned, Female—WO/F
Hispanic-Owned, Male—HI/M
Hispanic-Owned, Female—HI/F
Black-Owned, Male—BL/M
Black-Owned, Female—BL/F
Asian-Owned, Male—AS/M
Asian-Owned, Female—AS/F
American Indian-Owned, Male—AI/M
American Indian-Owned, Female—AI/F

To be identified as a HUB vendor in the state of Texas, a qualified vendor must be HUB Certified with the state.

HUB Certification

HUB certification is free to qualified vendors. Potential HUB vendors must complete the HUB Application and mail it to the Texas Building and Procurement Commission, located in Austin, Texas. The HUB application contains complete instructions and web addresses for the Centralized Master Bid List, Commodity Code list, and frequently asked questions. The HUB Coordinator for A&M-Commerce can also assist vendors in completing the application.

Benefits of Being HUB Certified

State agencies and institutions of higher education are required to report dollar amounts, solicitations, and contracts with qualified HUB vendors to the State of Texas. Therefore, each agency or university is actively contacting certified HUB vendors to meet or exceed the State of Texas HUB initiatives.

State agencies and institutions of higher education are required to solicit a minimum of one woman-owned and one minority-owned vendor when the cost of procuring goods or services exceeds a set dollar amount. Only HUB-certified vendors count in the solicitations.

State agencies and institutions of higher education are required to implement a HUB Subcontracting Plan when the cost of procuring goods or services exceeds $100,000.00. Prime or general contractors must make a good faith effort when using subcontractors.

State agencies and institutions of higher education are required to set goals with certified HUB vendors when procuring goods or services, and report the goals to the State of Texas. Each agency or university must meet or exceed the set goals or explain why the goals were not met.

Centralized Master Bidders List

The Centralized Master Bidders List (CMBL) was developed and is maintained by the TBPC for state agencies and institutions of higher education to solicit and contract with HUB and non-HUB vendors. Certified HUB vendors are encouraged to apply for inclusion on the CMBL. Vendors must complete a separate CMBL application and pay a fee of $100.00 for a two-year listing. State agencies and institutions of higher education regularly search the CMBL to find vendors, especially HUB vendors.

HUB Subcontracting Plan

It is the policy of A&M-Commerce to achieve the annual HUB program goals by contracting directly with HUBs or indirectly through subcontracting opportunities in accordance with the applicable Texas Government Codes. Therefore, A&M-Commerce, entering into a contract with an expected value of $100,000.00 or more, shall, before the solicitation of bids, proposals, offers, or other applicable expressions of interest, determine if it is probable for subcontracting opportunities under the contract. If subcontracting opportunities are probable, A&M-Commerce will state such probability in its bids, proposals, offers or other applicable expressions of interest and require the submission of a HUB Subcontracting Plan (HSP) from the prime or general contractor.

Mentor/Protégé Program

It is the intent of the mentor/protégé program to build an effective, long-term working relationship between established businesses (mentor) and newly-formed minority and woman-owned businesses (protégé) who are certified by the state of Texas as HUBs in order for the latter to benefit from the knowledge and experience of the established business.

The relationship between the mentor and protégé should provide the following:

Enhance and strengthen the capacity of the HUB to contract with state agencies or to receive subcontracting opportunities from a state contract
Foster long-term relationships between the general or prime contractor and HUBs
Increase overall participation of minority or women-owned businesses in the State of Texas HUB Program
Realize protégé's company leaders’ competency in select areas of identified need
Protégé's increased ability to realize long-term stability in their respective field

For more information, such as eligibility, applications, requirements and general information, download the complete packet.

HUB Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Are state agencies and institutions of higher education required to buy from a HUB vendor?

No, state agencies and institution of higher education are required to show a good faith effort with solicitation and contracting with HUB vendors.