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Selling to the State of California

Purchasing portal, certifications and where to get help

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

Purchasing portal

Cal eProcure (California eProcurement Portal), with the Department of General Services (DGS) Procurement Division and FI$Cal, the State's financial information system

How to register

  1. Go to caleprocure.ca.gov. Click Login/Register in the upper right, then Register as a New Bidder. DGS says registration costs nothing.
  2. Step 1, company profile: complete every item with an asterisk. Use the Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) or Social Security Number (SSN) as the Tax Identification Number (TIN), with no dashes. Add the company name and website.
  3. Step 2: enter the primary address (country, address, city, state, postal code). More addresses can be added.
  4. Step 3: click Add Contact to set up the primary contact. More users can be added.
  5. Step 4: choose to receive California State Contracts Register (CSCR) bid notices. Add the notification contacts, search and add UNSPSC (United Nations Standard Products and Services Code) product and service codes, and select service areas.
  6. Step 5: check the box to agree to the terms and conditions for state procurements, and click Submit.
  7. Look for the email with the user ID and temporary password. Sign in and set a new password of at least 8 characters with an upper-case letter, a lower-case letter, a number and a special character.
  8. To apply for state certification, sign in, click Get Certified, review the requirements and documents, choose Small Business (SB), Small Business for the Purpose of Public Works (SB-PW) and/or Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE), and upload the supporting documents.
  9. Find bids in the CSCR on Cal eProcure (Start Search). Post a free vendor ad on a solicitation to connect with prime contractors or subcontractors.
  10. For help, contact the FI$Cal Service Center at 855-421-6355 or vendors@fiscal.ca.gov. For registration questions, email BusinessOutreach@dgs.ca.gov.

State certifications

  • Small Business (SB) certification, with automatic Microbusiness (MB) designationDepartment of General Services (DGS), Procurement Division, Office of Small Business and DVBE Services (OSDS)Independently owned businesses that are not dominant in their field, with the principal office in California and owners (or officers) domiciled in California. Together with affiliates: 100 or fewer employees and average gross annual receipts of $19 million or less over the last three tax years, or a manufacturer with 100 or fewer employees. An SB is automatically a Microbusiness if receipts are $6 million or less, or if it is a manufacturer with 25 or fewer employees. DGS says SB certification is usually issued for two years, state agencies must award at least 25% of their contract dollars to certified SBs, and the state may give certified SBs a 5% bid preference.
  • Small Business for the Purpose of Public Works (SB-PW) certificationDGS Procurement Division, Office of Small Business and DVBE Services (OSDS)Same ownership and location rules as SB, with 200 or fewer employees and average gross annual receipts of $46 million or less over the last three tax years (including affiliates). It counts only on public works contracts.
  • Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) certificationDGS Procurement Division, Office of Small Business and DVBE Services (OSDS)Businesses at least 51% owned by one or more disabled veterans (limited liability companies must be wholly owned by them), with daily operations managed and controlled by one or more disabled veterans. A disabled veteran is a U.S. military, naval or air service veteran with a service-connected disability of at least 10% who is domiciled in California. The home office must be in the U.S. and cannot be a branch or subsidiary of a foreign firm. Applicants submit three years of federal tax returns. State agencies work toward a 3% DVBE contracting goal.
  • Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certificationCalifornia Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Office of Civil Rights, California Unified Certification Program (CUCP)Small, for-profit firms owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, for transportation contracts paid with U.S. Department of Transportation funds. Caltrans says the program no longer presumes disadvantage based on race, ethnicity or gender: every applicant submits a Personal Narrative and a Personal Net Worth Statement with full supporting documents. Caltrans lists a personal net worth limit under $2,047,000 and says it continually welcomes new applications. Apply in the Caltrans DBE System (caltrans.dbesystem.com).
  • Women, Minority, LGBT and Persons with Disabilities Business Enterprise certification (CPUC General Order 156)California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), through its Supplier ClearinghouseBusinesses at least 51% owned by, and managed day to day by, women, minority individuals, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) persons, or persons with disabilities, that want to sell to the more than 30 investor-owned utilities and other companies in the CPUC Supplier Diversity Program. CPUC says certification is free, lasts three years, and is limited to U.S. citizens or legal aliens. Apply through The Supplier Clearinghouse (thesupplierclearinghouse.com). Disabled-veteran-owned firms get certified by DGS OSDS instead.

Drone programs

  • Caltrans UAS ProgramCalifornia Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Division of AeronauticsLeads Caltrans' use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, drones). Drone use by contractors and consultants on current Caltrans projects may be allowed and is coordinated with the Division of Aeronautics through the Caltrans contract or project coordinator. Flying from the State Highway System right-of-way requires a Caltrans encroachment permit. Contact: UAS@dot.ca.gov.
  • Bay Area Test Site (BATS)Contra Costa County Airports Division (county government), with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range ComplexA county-run drone test site, usually at Byron Airport, that is part of the Pan-Pacific UAS (unmanned aircraft system) Test Range Complex, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) test site. Testers must be airport tenants. Email the UAS Test Information Form to the airport, sign a Temporary Use Permit with the county and, if needed, an agreement with the University of Alaska, which handles FAA airspace authorizations. Phone: 925-608-8000.

Where to get help in California

  • APEX AcceleratorCalifornia has seven regional APEX Accelerators (formerly PTACs) plus the American Indian Chamber Education Fund APEX Accelerator; the Department of Defense APEX Accelerators locator shows which one serves each countyAPEX Accelerator locator
  • Small Business Development Center (SBDC)America's SBDC California: regional Small Business Development Center networks with 56 centers and satellite offices; confidential advisingSBDC website
  • Economic developmentCalifornia Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)Economic development agency website

The federal guides

  • 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.

Official sources

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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