Governments are significant purchasers of goods and services, which means there are many opportunities for businesses interested in becoming a supplier or vendor at every level of government. Some benefits of becoming a government supplier include:
- Income – Governments allot billions of taxpayer dollars for their projects and announced contracts available for bidding.
- Opportunity – There are many opportunities for businesses offering a wide variety of products and services in many industries.
- Diverse – Governments do not discriminate whether a business is a large corporation or small diverse business. In fact, federal and state governments are required by law to have a certain percentage of contracts specifically for small diverse businesses.
- Stability – Service contracts through governments tend to have extended timeframes of a year or more, keeping the business operating.
- Support – There are available resources to all types of businesses interested in government contracting work.
- Promotion – Use your government contracting work to increase exposure to the public, leading to more business.
State Government Procurement
For businesses interested in contracting opportunities with the Pennsylvania’s state government, the Pennsylvania Department of General Services hosts the PA eMarketplace, which has comprehensive information about contracting opportunities, registering to become a vendor for state government, signing up for project alerts, and learning more about related policies and procedures.
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Diverse businesses (including minority-owned, woman-owned, disability-owned, and LGBT+-owned) and veteran business enterprises can learn more about competing for state government contracting opportunities and becoming a verified, self-certified small diverse business, in our Small Diverse Business section.
Additionally, Pennsylvania has several partners that assist businesses interested in government contracting:
APEX Accelerators
The APEX Accelerators were authorized by Congress in 1985 to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in government contracts. The program focuses on building a strong, sustainable, and resilient U.S. supply chains by assisting a wide range of businesses that pursue and perform under contracts with the Department of Defense, other federal agencies, state and local governments, and with government prime contractors.
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Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion, and Small Business Opportunity (BDISBO)
Are you a small business, small diverse business, or veteran business enterprise looking for state government contracting opportunities? Whether you are taking the first step towards self-certification/registration, or you’re ready to get to work on a contracting opportunity, the PA Department of General Services’ BDISBO is here to help you reach your goal.
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Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Supportive Services Center
The PA Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Supportive Services Center provides business development services to DBE firms to enable them to acquire the proficiency, experience, and expertise necessary to compete on an equal basis with non-DBE firms for federally assisted PennDOT contracts and subcontracts.
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National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
Founded in 1972, the NMSDC is the longest-operating business growth engine for the broadest group of systematically excluded communities of color (Asian-Indian, Asian-Pacific, Black, Hispanic, and Native American), and their impact goes beyond the supply chain. It’s about upward mobility for the emerging majority of Americans, an equal shot at participating in the American experiment of free-market capitalism and entrepreneurship.
