SECTION 20.288. Certification Process

(a) A business seeking certification as a HUB must submit an application through the online HUB certification system, affirming under penalty of perjury that the business qualifies as a HUB.

(b) If requested by the comptroller, the applicant must provide any and all materials and information necessary to demonstrate a qualifying active participation in the control, operation, and management of the HUB.

(c) A person claiming Texas residency must prove residency status by submitting:

(1) a current valid Texas driver's license or I.D. card; and

(2) additional evidence of residency satisfactory to the comptroller, such as an appraisal statement for Texas real property (including whether a homestead exemption was claimed for that real property) or most recent paid utility statements.

(d) The comptroller shall certify the applicant as a HUB or provide the applicant with written justification of its denial of certification within 90 days after the date the comptroller receives an application.

(e) The comptroller may reject an application based on one or more of the following:

(1) the application is not satisfactorily completed;

(2) the applicant does not meet the requirements of the definition of HUB;

(3) the application contains false information;

(4) the applicant does not provide required information in connection with the certification review conducted by the comptroller; or

(5) the applicant has an unfavorable record of performance on prior contracts with the state.

(f) The comptroller may approve the existing certification program of one or more local governments or nonprofit organizations in this state that certify historically underutilized businesses, minority business enterprises, women's business enterprises, or disadvantaged business enterprises that substantially fall under the same definition, to the extent applicable for HUBs found in Government Code, §2161.001, and maintain them on the comptroller's HUB directory, if the local government or nonprofit organization:

(1) meets or exceeds the standards established by the comptroller and

(2) agrees to the terms and conditions as required by statute relative to the agreement between the local government or nonprofits for the purpose of certification of HUBs.

(g) The agreement in subsection (f) of this section must take effect immediately and contain conditions as follows:

(1) allow for automatic certification of businesses certified by the local government or nonprofit organization as prescribed by the comptroller;

(2) provide for the efficient updating of the HUB directory;

(3) provide for a method by which the comptroller may efficiently communicate with businesses certified by the local government or nonprofit organization;

(4) provide those businesses with information about the state's Historically Underutilized Business Program; and

(5) require that a local government or nonprofit organization that enters into an agreement under subsection (f) of this section, complete the certification of an applicant with written justification of its certification denial within the period established by the comptroller in its rules for certification.

(h) The comptroller will not accept the certification of a local government or nonprofit organization that charges money for the certification of businesses to be listed on the HUB directory.

(i) The comptroller may terminate an agreement made under this section if a local government or nonprofit organization fails to meet the standards established by the comptroller for certifying HUBs. In the event of the termination of an agreement, those HUBs that were certified as a result of the agreement will maintain their HUB status during the fiscal year in which the agreement was in effect. Businesses which are removed from the HUB directory as a result of the termination of an agreement with a local government or nonprofit organization may apply to the comptroller for certification.

(j) The certification is valid for a four-year period beginning on the date the comptroller certifies the applicant as a HUB. If the certification was granted by an organization other than the comptroller under subsections (f) and (g) of this section, it is valid for the period granted by that organization.

Source Note: The provisions of this §20.288 adopted to be effective January 24, 2017, 42 TexReg 235; amended to be effective August 9, 2023, 48 TexReg 4268