Selling to the State of Alaska

How a company registers as a supplier with the State of Alaska, the state's certification programs and drone programs, and where to get help in Alaska, with the official sources. Federal registrations such as SAM.gov are in the federal guides.

IRIS Vendor Self Service (VSS), State of Alaska Integrated Resource Information System; formal solicitations are also posted on the Alaska Online Public Notices system

How to register

1. 1Get an Alaska business license from the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing. The Office of Procurement and Property Management (OPPM) says a valid Alaska business license is required to be awarded a contract and to claim the Alaska Bidder preference.
2. 2Go to IRIS Vendor Self Service (VSS) and click Register. The person who starts the registration becomes the Primary Account Administrator, with full control of the account.
3. 3Accept the terms (Memorandum of Agreement). Then search for an existing vendor record by taxpayer identification number (TIN) or legal business name. If the company is not listed, click New Registration.
4. 4Create a user ID and password and write them down. Click Next to receive a verification email, then click the link in the email to continue.
5. 5Choose the tax ID type (Employer Identification Number, or Social Security Number / Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) and the business classification. Enter the legal name exactly as on the W-9, organization details and the legal (1099) address. Bank details for electronic payment can be entered here.
6. 6Add addresses and contacts. The account must have at least an active payment address and an ordering address; billing address is optional.
7. 7Pick commodity and service codes so VSS emails notices when a matching solicitation is published. Without codes, a supplier can still respond but gets no email notice. Select the business types for any Alaska procurement preferences the company claims.
8. 8Watch for bids. OPPM posts Invitations to Bid and Requests for Proposals over $100,000 on the Online Public Notices system, which offers email and RSS alerts. Smaller purchases are made by each department through quotes.
9. 9Non-U.S. suppliers: a State of Alaska VSS 'Create a New Account' job aid says VSS is not available to foreign entities or non-U.S. citizens because of IRS documentation rules. The State creates the vendor record after it receives a completed IRS W-8 form by mail or fax (not email).
10. 10For help, contact the Division of Finance Vendor Help Desk: doa.dof.vendor.helpdesk@alaska.gov or 907-465-5555.

• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concession DBE (ACDBE) certificationAlaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF), Civil Rights Office, Alaska Unified Certification Program (AUCP)Small, for-profit businesses (within U.S. Small Business Administration size standards) at least 51% owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, for transportation contracts paid with U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) funds. DOT&PF says disadvantage is decided case by case, owners must be U.S. citizens or lawfully admitted permanent residents, and each disadvantaged owner's personal net worth cannot exceed $2.047 million. Forms include the DBE Certification Application, Personal Narrative instructions, Personal Net Worth Statement and affidavit addenda. DOT&PF says review generally takes no more than 90 days after a complete application. Under U.S. DOT's October 2025 interim final rule, DOT&PF is reevaluating certified firms: each owner of 51% or more sends a Personal Narrative and a Personal Net Worth Statement to DOT.CRO.DBECerts@alaska.gov.
• Alaskans with Disabilities Preference (10%) and Employment Program Preference (15%) certificationAlaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)Alaska bidders owned by persons with a disability (for a corporation, every owner; for a limited liability company, every member; for a partnership, every partner), or nonprofit employment programs that increase jobs for people with disabilities. DVR says the disability must create employment-related barriers; having a disability alone is not enough. DVR issues a certification letter, which must be attached to the bid. Certifications expire December 31 each year. DVR says there is no fee to apply, but a valid Alaska business license is required and the license has a fee.
• Alaska Veteran Preference (a price preference, not a certification)Alaska Department of Administration, Office of Procurement and Property Management (OPPM)Bidders that qualify as Alaska bidders and are owned by Alaska veterans (majority of owners, LLC members or partners). OPPM defines an Alaska veteran as a state resident who served in the U.S. armed forces (including reserves) or the Alaska Territorial Guard, Army or Air National Guard, or Naval Militia, and was not dishonorably separated. It lowers the evaluated price by 5%, up to $5,000, under AS 36.30.321(f). The bidder claims it in the bid; no certification is issued, but the procurement officer may ask for a DD Form 214 or NGB Form 22.

• Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) and the Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range ComplexUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks, Geophysical InstituteOne of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) test sites. The test range spans seven climate zones so manufacturers and users can test in Arctic, tropical and arid conditions, with partner ranges in Oregon and Hawaii and a partner site in Contra Costa County, California. ACUASI flies research, development, test and evaluation missions and works with federal, state, tribal, military, commercial and academic partners. Contact: uaf-acuasi@alaska.edu or 907-455-2016.

• APEX AcceleratorAlaska APEX Accelerator (formerly Alaska PTAC, the Procurement Technical Assistance Center), a program of the University of Alaska Anchorage Business Enterprise Institute; free services statewide, with centers in Anchorage and FairbanksAPEX Accelerator website
• Small Business Development Center (SBDC)Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC), hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage Business Enterprise Institute; no-cost advisingSBDC website
• Economic developmentAlaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), a public corporation of the State of Alaska and the state's development financing authorityEconomic development agency website

• Where to startThe order: the basics, codes and size, SAM.gov, certifications, drone rules, documents, where to sell, and free and low-cost help.
• SAM.gov registrationThe federal government's free registration for companies that want federal contracts: the Unique Entity ID, the CAGE code and the yearly renewal.
• Codes and profilesNAICS and PSC codes, SBA size standards, CAGE and NCAGE codes, and the SBA Small Business Search profile buyers search.
• SBA certificationsThe SBA's 8(a), HUBZone, women-owned (WOSB and EDWOSB) and veteran-owned (VetCert) programs: who each is for and how to apply.
• Drone complianceThe rules for selling drones to government and flying them: NDAA and the American Security Drone Act, Blue UAS, the FCC, FAA Part 107, ITAR, EAR and CMMC.
• Documents to prepareWhat government buyers, SBA lenders, SBIR and STTR programs and investors ask to see.
• Selling to federal buyersWhere federal contracts, subcontracts and research funding are posted: SAM.gov, primes, the GSA schedule, SBIR and STTR, DIU, AFWERX, the Army, the Navy, SOFWERX and DHS.
• Utilities and public buyersUtilities, HUD-funded agencies, state transportation departments, cities and counties, and cooperative contracts such as Sourcewell and NASPO ValuePoint.
• Free and low-cost helpAPEX Accelerators, SBDCs, SBA district offices, SCORE, veterans' and women's business centers, MEP centers and agency small business offices.

• Alaska OPPM, Vendor Resources
• Alaska OPPM, How to Do Business with the State of Alaska (revised April 2024)
• Alaska OPPM, Application of Preferences Guide (effective 8/8/2024)
• State of Alaska Vendor Self Service (VSS) - Create a New Account job aid
• Alaska Online Public Notices
• Alaska Online Public Notices, New Vendor Self Service portal for IRIS (notice published August 13, 2014)
• IRIS Vendor Self Service
• Alaska DOT&PF Civil Rights Office, Alaska DBE Program (AUCP)
• Alaska DOT&PF Civil Rights Office, DBE Application
• Alaska DVR, Procurement Preference FAQ
• ACUASI, Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex
• Federal Aviation Administration, UAS Test Site Locations
• Alaska APEX Accelerator
• U.S. Department of Defense APEX Accelerators program site (center data)
• Alaska SBDC, About
• Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA)
• U.S. Department of Transportation, DBE and ACDBE Program Revisions, final rule (Docket DOT-OST-2025-0897), public inspection copy scheduled for Federal Register publication on 2026-09-25
• Alaska DOT&PF Civil Rights Office, DBE/ACDBE IFR Reevaluation

Last checked September 25, 2026. Rules, fees and programs change; the official sources are where to confirm them before applying or spending money.

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