Fearless, a Baltimore software company, has landed a contract worth up to $2.4 million over two years to improve a U.S. Small Business Administration program for small businesses in low income, high unemployment communities.
The small business administration's so-called HUBZone program targets small businesses in historically underutilized business areas to improve their access to federal contracting opportunities.
Under the contract, Fearless will update the program's online application and certification process, among other program features.
To qualify for the HUBZone program, small businesses must be headquartered in a designated HUBZone and 35 percent of its employees must live in a HUBZone.
The application process requires businesses to enter every employee's address and can be tedious, said Delali Dzirasa, the founder of Fearless. The company will aim to streamline the process, he said.
The contract builds on Fearless's web application, HUBFinder, which help businesses that already have received HUBZone designation manage their compliance requirements, for example, ensuring the right number of employees live within a HUBZone.
Fearless employs 26 full-time and part-time workers, four of whom were brought on recently to handle the small business administration contract.
The initial contract is for six months and has a base value of about $597,000. The contract is eligible for three six-month extensions, and will be worth $2.4 million if all extensions are exercised.
twitter.com/sarahgantz