Small and minority-owned firms should not overlook this opportunity!

Last year, HUBs did business with more than 300 Texas state agencies, including institutions of higher education. The state's Administrative Code requires that a "good faith" effort be made to use HUBs in construction, services and commodities contracts. That statute sends millions of dollars to small and minority-owned Texas firms.

The Texas Department of Transportation recorded the highest HUB expenditures. The state's transportation agency spent more than $666.7 million on HUB contracts, or more than 10.4 percent of its total expenditures for the year.

The Health and Human Services Commission was the second highest HUB contractor, with 25.9 percent of its annual expenditures - more than $140.4 million - dedicated to HUB contracts.

The University of Texas System contracted for more than 19.6 percent of its annual expenditures with HUB businesses, expenditures that totaled more than $104.8 million.

UT's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center spent more than $65.5 million contracting with HUB businesses, or 7.9 percent of its total expenditures for the year.

The University of Texas at Austin reports that 16.2 percent of its total expenditures went to HUB firms. The university spent $44.3 million in contracts with HUBs

The UT Southwest Medical Center in Dallas spent $44.1 million through HUB contracts, or 12.7 percent of its total expenditures for the year.

The Texas Lottery Commission allocated more than $42.5 million to HUB contracts.

Texas A&M University spent $40.4 million with HUB businesses in 2007, or 20.5 percent of its total expenditures.

More than 11.5 percent of The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston's contracts - worth more than $34.9 million - were with HUB businesses.

Rounding out the top 10 HUB spenders among Texas state agencies was the Department of State Health Services, which spent more than $34.4 million in HUB contracts, or 13.3 percent of its total expenditures.

Some other agencies actually had higher percentages of their annual expenditures that went to HUB businesses. These included:

The University of Texas at San Antonio reported the largest percentage of HUB contracts - 35.4 percent of its total expenditures.

The University of Texas at Dallas recorded 33.2 percent of its expenditures with HUB businesses, while the Texas Workforce Commission's HUB contracts represented 32.4 percent of the agency's total expenditures.

More than 31 percent of the Texas Building and Procurement Commission (now the Texas Facilities Commission) expenditures for 2007 were with HUB businesses, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality reported that 30.1 percent of its expenditures went to HUB contracts.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services recorded 29.8 percent of its expenditures for the year with HUBs and the University of Houston-Downtown cited 29.5 percent of its expenditures through HUB contracts.

The Office of the Attorney General's HUB expenditures totaled 28.2 percent in 2007 while the Texas Lottery Commission recorded 27 percent of its expenditures with HUB businesses.

Rounding out the top 10 by percentage was The University of Texas at El Paso, with 24.4 percent of its expenditures allocated to HUBs.

Applying for HUB certification is the first step qualified vendors should take to become a player in the very lucrative state government marketplace. Why would any small and/or minority firm not seize this opportunity?

To access HUB certification application forms on the State Comptroller's Web site, click here.

One last footnote - local governments throughout Texas have just as aggressive programs and quotas that benefit small and minority-owned businesses. Watch this column for more about contracting opportunities at all levels of government.