The NC Department of Administration says the 2026 state budget eliminated the Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses and that state contracts no longer recognize HUB certifications. Halespring Business Capital, a small-business funding broker in Gastonia, North Carolina, summarizes the replacement NC Small Business Enterprise program for Gaston County contractors and explains what certification does not change.
| HUB office | Eliminated by the 2026 state budget, per the NC Department of Administration |
|---|---|
| State contracts | No longer recognize HUB certifications (same source) |
| Replacement | NC Small Business Enterprise (NCSBE) program, race and gender neutral |
| NCSBE criteria | Headquartered in NC, net income no greater than $1.5 million, 100 or fewer employees |
| Gaston County construction | 510 employer establishments, 363 specialty trades (Census CBP 2023) |
| Source pages | doa.nc.gov, accessed 2026-10-16 |
What changed with HUB certification
HUB stands for Historically Underutilized Businesses. The NC Department of Administration's Small Business Enterprise Program page (accessed 2026-10-16) states, under an update dated July 7, 2026, that "the 2026 state budget enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly eliminated the Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB)." It adds that "state government contracts will no longer recognize HUB certifications."
Contractors who relied on HUB status for state bids should read the department's pages directly and confirm what applies to any bid they are preparing. Older guides and bid documents may still mention HUB.
What happens to MWBE and local certifications
Many public bodies use minority- and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) certification in their own purchasing. The department's page says that "the Statewide Uniform Business Certification remains valid for use with participating local/city governments until their expiration date." If you hold that certification, check with each city, county or school system you bid with to find out whether it participates and how it will treat certification after expiry.
The NC Small Business Enterprise program
The department describes the NCSBE program as "a race and gender-neutral program designed to provide contracting opportunities to NC small businesses with the State of North Carolina." Its NCSBE certification page lists three eligibility criteria:
- headquartered in North Carolina;
- an annual net income no greater than $1.5 million; and
- 100 or fewer employees.
According to the same page, businesses apply through the state's electronic Vendor Portal, evp.nc.gov, and reviews can take up to 90 days from the time a fully completed packet is submitted. The department lists 984-236-0130 and ncsbe@doa.nc.gov for questions. We found no fee information on the page.
Streamlined certification for former HUB firms
The department's pages describe a streamlined NCSBE certification for businesses that held HUB certification as of July 7, 2026, open from October 26 to November 30, which it says requires "a simple digital confirmation" rather than full documentation. If your firm was HUB-certified, confirm the dates and steps on the NCSBE certification page before the window closes.
What certification does not do
Certification can widen the contracts a firm can pursue. It does not change how a lending partner judges a funding request, and Halespring Business Capital does not suggest that certified firms qualify for special terms, set-asides or easier approval. What partners care about is the contract itself: the scope, the payment schedule, the paperwork required before each payment, and how much is held back until completion.
Public work and the cash gap
Public projects often pay on a fixed schedule after inspection and documentation, and a contractor may need to buy materials, mobilize equipment and pay crews well before the first payment. That gap is the usual reason contractors ask about working capital or a revolving line of credit. A signed contract with a clear payment schedule is one of the most useful documents a contractor can bring to a funding conversation.
Gaston County, NC contractors by the numbers
Gaston County had 510 construction employer establishments in 2023, 363 of them specialty trade contractors, and 65.1 percent of all construction employers had fewer than five employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). A further 2,269 construction businesses had no paid employees in 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024). Firms of that size are the ones most likely to fit the NCSBE size criteria, and the ones for which the timing of a public payment matters most. Contractor financing covers the funding side in more depth.
Halespring Business Capital is not affiliated with the NC Department of Administration or any certification program. The rest of our Gaston County guides are under resources.
By Halespring Business Capital · Updated
