May 1, 2025
The answer? It’s complicated.
When I started working as a procurement counselor, I was surprised by how many small businesses asked me this question. I was coming from a job as a procurement analyst for the City of New York, so to me there was a clear distinction between the three. Federal bids are posted by Federal Agencies to fulfill Federal needs, State bids are posted by State Agencies to fulfill State needs, and so on.
After some research, I realized that searches like “How to become a government contractor” overwhelming result in how to work with the federal government, but not other procurement pathways. I think this is a shame because focusing on just one level means you may miss out on opportunities that would otherwise be a great fit for your business.
So where do we start?
Let’s start with necessary registrations to work with any level of government. First, ensure you have already registered your business and completed the necessary paperwork – this is required for any work with the government. (As a side note, I am going to use New York State [NYS] as my example case for working with state government and New York City [NYC] as my local example, as those are two processes with which I am very familiar.)
Federal: Registering in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is a requirement for anyone looking to do business with the federal government. SAM.gov registration is free, and I strongly suggest working with your local APEX Accelerator to help you with the process to avoid any headaches or delays caused by errors in your registration. Make sure you complete the entire registration process and receive both a Unique Entity ID (UEI) and a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, as both are required for federal contracting.
State: Since your business is already registered with the state, there is not a SAM.gov equivalent that you need to fill out. In some states, there are supplemental systems or forms that your business will need to complete. For example, upon contract award in New York State, businesses will need to complete the Vendor Responsibility Questionnaire in the NYS VendRep System to obtain their NYS Vendor ID number. This information can often be found on your States procurement website (in NYS, it is the Office of General Services), but your APEX Accelerator will be able to clear that up as well.
Local: This is perhaps the trickiest category, as almost every City, Town, County, etc., has their own process. The complexity often corresponds to size, with large cities having their own dedicated procurement systems (e.g., NYC has PASSPort) and smaller towns often only requiring state certification. If you want to know more, contact your nearest procurement office.
I have completed my registrations. Where do I find opportunities?
For the sake of simplicity, I am only going to touch on where to find competitive requests for bids or proposals. There are other purchasing methods every level of government uses, but competitive opportunities are often a great place to start and get a lay of the land.
Federal: SAM.gov is not only where you complete your registration, but also where federal agencies post requests for bids and proposals. These live in the “Contracting” tab, and results can be restricted to keyword searches, your businesses NAICS code, contractor place of performance, and more. There are thousands of open opportunities, referred to as “solicitations” or “combined synopsis/solicitations,” so be sure to take advantage of filters when looking. There is no method for uploading bids or proposals to SAM.gov, so most communication is via email.
State: As with the registration process, there is no one rule when it comes to where state opportunities are posted. In New York State, most requests for bids and proposals are posted on the New York State Contract Reporter (NYSCR). Like SAM.gov, there is no bid or proposal submission through this site and most communication is via email. Some agencies have their own portals, and where applicable, these will be linked in the description of the opportunity posted in NYSCR. This is a free resource in NYS, and while most other states have free contracting posting sites, there are some that require a registration fee. Note: Always check that the site you are using is an official state site. There is a plethora of unofficial portals that hope to trick new businesses into paying for publicly accessible opportunities.
Local: Again, this tier is the least cohesive when it comes to where to find contract opportunities. Check local procurement websites, or even local newspapers in those areas that are a little less technologically advanced, for postings. A common website leveraged by localities is BidNet Direct, but other free or paid options are used at the discretion of the local contracting authority.
Positioning your business to capture opportunities at all levels is a challenge, but the potential for reward can outweigh the cost. Registrations are a one-time process, and contracts have the potential to last for years. Diversification can help your business grow, find footing in a competitive landscape, and realize new opportunities.
