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Selling to the State of Indiana

Purchasing portal, certifications and where to get help

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

Purchasing portal

Indiana Department of Administration (IDOA) Supplier Portal and Supplier Resource Center

How to register

  1. Register the business with the Indiana Secretary of State through INBiz, unless it is a sole proprietorship or partnership, according to IDOA. IDOA also cites Indiana Code 5-22-16-4: a bidder that is a foreign (out-of-state) corporation must be registered with the Secretary of State to do business in Indiana.
  2. Check the Registered Bidders List on the IDOA site to see if the company already has a bidder profile.
  3. Create a bidder profile. Follow IDOA's Bidder Registration Guide and click Start Profile Creation. Choose UNSPSC codes (United Nations Standard Products and Services Code, the system Indiana uses to sort what it buys) that match the company's goods and services. The primary contact's email address is used to sign in.
  4. Wait one business day. IDOA says an overnight process sends the primary contact's email to Access Indiana (the state sign-in account), and the Supplier Portal can be used after 6:30 a.m. Indianapolis time the next business day.
  5. Sign in to the Supplier Portal through Access Indiana. IDOA says the portal lets the primary contact view and respond to bids, update the profile, report through Pay Audit and submit program applications (such as Buy Indiana and IVOSB).
  6. Set up bid alerts. IDOA emails bidder-profile subscribers about new solicitations over $75,000 that match their UNSPSC codes. A separate GovDelivery list sends a notice each time the solicitations page changes. IDOA says purchases under $75,000 are usually handled by each agency, so contact that agency's head procurement agent directly.
  7. To be paid, send the State Comptroller an Automated Direct Deposit Authorization Agreement and a Form W-9, according to IDOA. IDOA lists this as a separate step from the IDOA bidder registration.
  8. Note: IDOA buys for all state agencies except the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), which runs its own purchasing.

State certifications

  • Indiana Veteran Owned Small Business (IVOSB) certificationIndiana Department of Administration (IDOA)Businesses at least 51% owned by a veteran who controls management and daily operations, and that meet one Indiana test: majority of payroll paid to Indiana residents, majority of employees are Indiana residents, significant capital investment in Indiana, or headquarters in Indiana. IDOA verifies SBA's Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert), but applicants still apply to IDOA. Apply through the Supplier Portal with a bidder registration number and UNSPSC codes. IDOA has a goal of at least 3% of state contracts with IVOSBs.
  • Indiana Small Business Program (new; being set up)Indiana Department of Administration (IDOA), with the Office of Management and Budget and the Indiana Economic Development CorporationQualified Indiana small businesses. Executive Order 26-17 (July 14, 2026) created the program within IDOA. It lets small businesses apply to IDOA to be designated as an Indiana small business, and expands the Buy Indiana preference to include them. The order set October 1, 2026 as the date for the policies and procedures.
  • Buy Indiana designationIndiana Department of Administration (IDOA)Businesses that meet one of five conditions: registered with the Indiana Secretary of State as a domestic business; majority of payroll paid to Indiana residents; majority of employees are Indiana residents; significant capital investment in Indiana ($5 million or more in plant or equipment, or $2.5 million or more in annual Indiana lease payments); or a top-500 Indiana taxpayer. Apply through the bidder profile in the Supplier Portal. IDOA says attached documents must be dated within one year.
  • Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concession DBE (ACDBE) certificationIndiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), Business Opportunity Initiative Services (sole DBE/ACDBE certifier in Indiana)For-profit small businesses at least 51% owned and controlled by individuals who are both socially and economically disadvantaged, for USDOT-funded contracts. INDOT lists: U.S. citizen or permanent resident, expertise in the field, control of daily operations, and personal net worth under $2,047,000 (not counting the primary residence and the firm). Social disadvantage must be shown by the owner's own experience in a Personal Narrative (49 CFR 26.67). INDOT says it does not accept paper applications: applicants complete a pre-screen and apply through Indiana's ITAP system. INDOT says to allow up to 90 days for in-state applications and up to 60 days for interstate applications.

Drone programs

  • Midwest UAS Test Site of IndianaIndiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), in partnership with the Applied Research InstituteOne of the FAA's designated uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) test sites. The FAA says it is industry-focused and offers access to military ranges, a 200+ mile beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) corridor preliminarily approved by the FAA, the Purdue UAS Research and Test (PURT) facility, and digital twin and simulation tools, with a focus on defense, public safety, agriculture, shipping and logistics. FAA point of contact: Director, Indiana UAS Test Site, 1250 Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis (dale.lyles@theari.us). IEDC's Defense page offers a download about the site.

Where to get help in Indiana

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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