(a) General. A certified HUBZone small business concern may enter into a joint venture agreement with one or more other small business concerns, or with an approved mentor authorized by §125.9 of this chapter (or, if also an 8(a) BD Participant, with an approved mentor authorized by §124.520 of this chapter), for the purpose of submitting an offer for a HUBZone contract. The joint venture itself need not be a certified HUBZone small business concern.

(b) Size.

(1) A joint venture of at least one certified HUBZone small business concern and one or more other business concerns may submit an offer as a small business for a HUBZone procurement or sale so long as each concern is small under the size standard corresponding to the NAICS code assigned to the procurement or sale.

(2) A joint venture between a protégé firm and its SBA-approved mentor (see §125.9 of this chapter) will be deemed small provided the protégé qualifies as small for the size standard corresponding to the NAICS code assigned to the HUBZone procurement or sale.

(c) Contents of joint venture agreement. Every joint venture agreement to perform a HUBZone contract, including those between a protégé firm that is a certified HUBZone small business concern and its SBA-approved mentor authorized by §124.520 or §125.9 of this chapter, must contain a provision:

(1) Setting forth the purpose of the joint venture;

(2) Designating a certified HUBZone small business concern as the managing venturer of the joint venture, and an employee of the certified HUBZone small business concern managing venturer as the project manager responsible for performance of the contract. The individual identified as the project manager of the joint venture need not be an employee of the certified HUBZone small business concern at the time the joint venture submits an offer, but, if he or she is not, there must be a signed letter of intent that the individual commits to be employed by the certified HUBZone small business concern if the joint venture is the successful offeror. The individual identified as the project manager cannot be employed by the mentor and become an employee of the certified HUBZone small business concern for purposes of performance under the joint venture;

(3) Stating that with respect to a separate legal entity joint venture, the certified HUBZone small business concern must own at least 51% of the joint venture entity;

(4) Stating that the certified HUBZone small business concern(s) must receive profits from the joint venture commensurate with the work performed by the certified HUBZone small business concern;

(5) Providing for the establishment and administration of a special bank account in the name of the joint venture. This account must require the signature of all parties to the joint venture or designees for withdrawal purposes. All payments due the joint venture for performance on a HUBZone contract will be deposited in the special account; all expenses incurred under the contract will be paid from the account as well;

(6) Itemizing all major equipment, facilities, and other resources to be furnished by each party to the joint venture, with a detailed schedule of cost or value of each, where practical. If a contract is indefinite in nature, such as an indefinite quantity contract or a multiple award contract where the level of effort or scope of work is not known, the joint venture must provide a general description of the anticipated major equipment, facilities, and other resources to be furnished by each party to the joint venture, without a detailed schedule of cost or value of each, or in the alternative, specify how the parties to the joint venture will furnish such resources to the joint venture once a definite scope of work is made publicly available;

(7) Specifying the responsibilities of the parties with regard to negotiation of the contract, source of labor, and contract performance, including ways that the parties to the joint venture will ensure that the joint venture and the HUBZone partner(s) to the joint venture will meet the limitations on subcontracting requirements set forth in paragraph (d) of this section, where practical. If a contract is indefinite in nature, such as an indefinite quantity contract or a multiple award contract where the level of effort or scope of work is not known, the joint venture must provide a general description of the anticipated responsibilities of the parties with regard to negotiation of the contract, source of labor, and contract performance, not including the ways that the parties to the joint venture will ensure that the joint venture and the HUBZone partner(s) to the joint venture will meet the limitations on subcontracting requirements set forth in paragraph (d) of this section, or in the alternative, specify how the parties to the joint venture will define such responsibilities once a definite scope of work is made publicly available;

(8) Obligating all parties to the joint venture to ensure performance of the HUBZone contract and to complete performance despite the withdrawal of any member;

(9) Designating that accounting and other administrative records relating to the joint venture be kept in the office of the certified HUBZone small business concern managing venturer, unless approval to keep them elsewhere is granted by the District Director or his/her designee upon written request;

(10) Requiring that the final original records be retained by the certified HUBZone small business concern managing venturer upon completion of the HUBZone contract performed by the joint venture;

(11) Stating that quarterly financial statements showing cumulative contract receipts and expenditures (including salaries of the joint venture's principals) must be submitted to SBA not later than 45 days after each operating quarter of the joint venture; and

(12) Stating that a project-end profit and loss statement, including a statement of final profit distribution, must be submitted to SBA no later than 90 days after completion of the contract.

(d) Limitations on subcontracting.

(1) For any HUBZone contract to be performed by a joint venture between a certified HUBZone small business concern and another certified HUBZone small business concern, the aggregate of the certified HUBZone small business concerns to the joint venture, not each concern separately, must perform the applicable percentage of work required by §125.6 of this chapter.

(2) For any HUBZone contract to be performed by a joint venture between a certified HUBZone small business concern and a small business concern or its SBA-approved mentor authorized by §125.9 or §124.520 of this chapter, the joint venture must perform the applicable percentage of work required by §125.6 of this chapter, and the certified HUBZone small business concern partner to the joint venture must perform at least 40% of the work performed by the joint venture.

(i) The work performed by the certified HUBZone small business concern partner to a joint venture must be more than administrative or ministerial functions so that it gains substantive experience.

(ii) The amount of work done by the partners will be aggregated and the work done by the certified HUBZone small business concern partner must be at least 40% of the total done by the partners. In determining the amount of work done by a mentor participating in a joint venture with a HUBZone qualified protégé, all work done by the mentor and any of its affiliates at any subcontracting tier will be counted.

(e) Certification of compliance—

(1) At time of offer. If submitting an offer as a joint venture for a HUBZone contract, at the time of initial offer (and if applicable, final offer), each certified HUBZone small business concern joint venture partner must make the following certifications to the contracting officer separately under its own name:

(i) It is a certified HUBZone small business concern that appears in DSBS (or successor system) as a certified HUBZone small business concern and it met the eligibility requirements in §126.200 at the time of its initial certification or, if applicable, at the time of its most recent recertification;

(ii) It, together with its affiliates, is small under the size standard corresponding to the NAICS code assigned to the procurement;

(iii) It will “attempt to maintain” having at least 35% of its employees residing in a HUBZone during performance of the contract; and

(iv) It will comply with the applicable limitations on subcontracting during performance of the contract, as set forth in §125.6 of this chapter and §§126.200(f) and 126.700.

(2) Prior to performance. Prior to the performance of any HUBZone contract as a joint venture, the HUBZone small business concern partner to the joint venture must submit a written certification to the contracting officer and SBA, signed by an authorized official of each partner to the joint venture, stating the following:

(i) The parties have entered into a joint venture agreement that fully complies with paragraph (c) of this section; and

(ii) The parties will perform the contract in compliance with the joint venture agreement.

(f) Past performance and experience. When evaluating the past performance and experience of an entity submitting an offer for a HUBZone contract as a joint venture established pursuant to this section, a procuring activity must consider work done individually by each partner to the joint venture as well as any work done by the joint venture itself previously.

(g) Contract execution. The procuring activity will execute a HUBZone contract in the name of the joint venture entity or the certified HUBZone small business concern, but in either case will identify the award as one to a HUBZone joint venture or a HUBZone mentor-protégé joint venture, as appropriate.

(h) Inspection of records. The joint venture partners must allow SBA's authorized representatives, including representatives authorized by the SBA Inspector General, during normal business hours, access to its files to inspect and copy all records and documents relating to the joint venture.

(i) Limitations on subcontracting reports. The certified HUBZone small business concern partner to a joint venture must describe how it is meeting or has met the applicable limitations on subcontracting requirements for each HUBZone contract it performs as a joint venture.

(1) The certified HUBZone small business concern partner to the joint venture must annually submit a report to the relevant contracting officer and to the SBA, signed by an authorized official of each partner to the joint venture, explaining how the limitations on subcontracting requirements are being met for each HUBZone contract performed during the year.

(2) At the completion of every HUBZone contract awarded to a joint venture, the certified HUBZone small business concern partner to the joint venture must submit a report to the relevant contracting officer and to the SBA, signed by an authorized official of each partner to the joint venture, explaining how and certifying that the limitations on subcontracting requirements were met for the contract, and further certifying that the contract was performed in accordance with the provisions of the joint venture agreement that are required under paragraph (c) of this section.

(j) Basis for suspension or debarment. The Government may consider the following as a ground for suspension or debarment as a willful violation of a regulatory provision or requirement applicable to a public agreement or transaction:

(1) Failure to enter a joint venture agreement that complies with paragraph (c) of this section;

(2) Failure to perform a contract in accordance with the joint venture agreement or limitations on subcontracting requirements in paragraph (d) of this section; or

(3) Failure to submit the certification required by paragraph (e) of this section or comply with paragraph (h) of this section.

(k) Any person with information concerning a joint venture's compliance with the limitations on subcontracting requirements may report that information to SBA and/or the SBA Office of Inspector General.

[81 FR 48591, July 25, 2016, as amended at 81 FR 94942, Dec. 27, 2016; 83 FR 12852, Mar. 26, 2018; 84 FR 65248, Nov. 29, 2019]