Quick Start for:
State Purchasing

HUB Certification

A "Historically Underutilized Business" is an entity with its principal place of business in Texas, and is at least 51% owned by an Asian Pacific American, Black American, Hispanic American, Native American and/or American woman who reside in Texas and have a proportionate interest and demonstrate active participation in the control, operations and management of the entity's affairs.

In accordance with Texas Administrative Code §111.13, each state agency shall make a good faith effort to utilize HUBs in contracts for construction, services (including professional and consulting services) and commodities purchases.

The Statewide HUB Program provides HUB certification for minority and woman-owned businesses in the State of Texas. Vendors seeking certification as a HUB are required to submit a completed HUB certification application and supporting documentation, affirming under penalty of perjury that their business qualifies as a HUB.*

Benefits of HUB Certification

  • HUB certification is free of charge.
  • Certification is valid for 4 years, provided that business continues to meet the eligibility requirements*.
  • Business is registered on the Comptroller’s Web-based HUB Directory. State agencies use the HUB Directory in conjunction with the Comptroller’s Centralized Master Bidders List (CMBL) to solicit bids from certified HUBs for state purchasing and public works contracts. Prime contractors also use the HUB Directory to identify HUBs to whom they will send notification of their subcontracting opportunities.
  • Increased exposure to the general public, as well as, other entities who have a supplier diversity program and are searching for minority and woman-owned businesses.

* Vendors may also receive HUB certification by way of a certification memorandum of agreement the Statewide HUB Program has entered into with other local governments or nonprofit organizations. View more about HUB Certification Agreements

Certification Process

HUB Certification through the Statewide HUB Program requires general information about your business and supporting documentation to substantiate business structure and HUB eligibility. Upon receipt of your application and supporting documentation:

  • Your file will be entered into our database and assigned to one of our certification specialists.
  • The certification specialist will review your file for completeness and HUB eligibility criteria. If more information is needed, the certification specialist will request this information from the primary point of contact listed on your application.
  • Upon certification approval, your vendor profile will be uploaded into the HUB Directory. A HUB certification package, which includes a certificate and resources for doing business with the state, will be mailed to the address provided on your application. If you need proof of certification prior to the receipt of your certificate, please look up your vendor profile on the HUB Directory. HUB Status code “A” signifies a company’s status as a Texas certified HUB. You can also maintain your profile by logging into the CMBL Registration System.

Please allow up to 90 days for us to evaluate your HUB Certification application. Processing time may take longer if your application is incomplete, does not include all required documentation or if we require additional information to substantiate HUB eligibility.

HUB Certification Application Forms

Download the application form for all business structures below, or select your business type to go directly to the application pages your business will need for HUB certification. (All application forms include general application pages 1-6 and page 17. Forms for specific business types include only the additional application pages you will need for that business structure .)

NOTE: All forms have been updated as of June 2009. Updates include:
(1) the capability to apply for both HUB certification and CMBL registration to maximize your visibility to state purchasers; and
(2) streamlined form content to support faster completion and submission.

Additional forms that may be required for HUB Certification
(For Corporations, Limited Companies and Limited Partnerships Only):

To open a pdf document, download Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer and follow the instructions for downloading and installing the software.