Selling to the State of North Dakota

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

NDBuys, run by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) State Procurement Office

How to register

1. 1Go to the public NDBuys site and open the bidder registration. Sign in with an ND Login ID or create one (the ND APEX Accelerator's January 2026 guide describes this sign-in).
2. 2If your company was a bidder in the old SPO Online system, create a new NDBuys account. OMB says former SPO Online bidders are now suppliers in NDBuys and should sign in to confirm their information transferred correctly. The ND APEX Accelerator's January 2026 guide says a new account is needed.
3. 3Enter your company's identifying information, addresses and contacts, including the email where you want solicitation notices.
4. 4Select the commodity codes for your goods and services. OMB says these codes decide which solicitation notices you receive, and one service can fall under several codes.
5. 5Watch for the confirmation email. OMB says you get one when registration is complete.
6. 6Before a contract is signed, register with the North Dakota Secretary of State if your business type requires it. OMB says state law (N.D.C.C. 54-44.4-09.1) requires this registration before contract execution and for the whole contract period. Check your status on the Secretary of State's FirstStop business search.
7. 7To get paid, get a Supplier ID through the ND Payee Portal after the paying agency confirms the payment. OMB says the portal collects an IRS W-9 (U.S. businesses) or W-8 and your payment details.
8. 8For help, contact the State Procurement Office at infospo@nd.gov or 701-328-2740. For NDBuys system support, the NDBuys site lists support-northdakota@ivalua.com and +1 (701) 540-9648.

• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certificationNorth Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT)Disadvantaged businesses seeking work on U.S. Department of Transportation-assisted projects. NDDOT says its DBE program is in a transition period because of the Interim Final Rule published October 3, 2025, and that starting June 2026 it will begin accepting new in-state and interstate DBE applications through its Certification and Compliance System (dotnd.diversitycompliance.com).

• Northern Plains UAS Test Site (NPUASTS)Northern Plains Unmanned Systems Authority (listed by the North Dakota Department of Commerce)The FAA lists the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, based in Grand Forks, as one of nine FAA UAS test sites. Commerce says the Northern Plains Unmanned Systems Authority oversees the test site. The site calls itself North Dakota's Drone Access, Infrastructure and Operations Authority and offers airspace access, regulatory flight waivers, flight testing, consulting, training and third-party validations. Contact: info@npuasts.com, 701.777.6100.
• Vantis, North Dakota's statewide UAS networkNorthern Plains UAS Test Site (administers Vantis), with the North Dakota Department of CommerceCommerce calls Vantis the nation's first statewide uncrewed aerial systems network. It lets drones fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). Commerce says the Northern Plains UAS Test Site administers Vantis, and that the North Dakota Development Fund approved a state-owned entity to commercialize the network.
• North Dakota Drone Replacement ProgramNorthern Plains UAS Test Site, with oversight from the North Dakota Department of Commerce; formal purchasing by OMBReplaces drones bought before January 1, 2025 that do not meet National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) standards, for North Dakota state agencies and North Dakota University System entities (counties, cities and local police are not eligible at this time). The program page says OMB runs the formal procurement. On September 15, 2026, Commerce said the state had finished technical and cost evaluations and was finalizing vendor selections, aircraft platforms and pricing.
• Autonomous Agriculture Grant ProgramNorth Dakota Department of CommerceCommerce's Autonomous Systems page says it is requesting proposals for grants of up to $7.5 million for projects that advance autonomous agriculture. The program page lists two awards (Greenfield Robotics, $500,000; Grand Farm, $7 million) and gives no application instructions or deadline.

• APEX AcceleratorNorth Dakota APEX Accelerator (University of North Dakota Nistler College of Business and Public Administration; offices in Bismarck, Fargo and Minot, plus a Grand Forks office in the DoD APEX locator)APEX Accelerator website
• Small Business Development Center (SBDC)North Dakota Small Business Development Centers (lead center at the University of North Dakota)SBDC website
• Economic developmentNorth Dakota Department of CommerceEconomic 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.

• ND OMB Vendor Registration Guidelines
• ND OMB NDBuys page
• NDBuys public site
• ND OMB Preference Laws
• ND OMB Secretary of State Registration
• ND OMB Register as Payee
• ND APEX Accelerator: How to do Business with the State of North Dakota (Jan. 27, 2026)
• NDDOT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program
• Northern Plains UAS Test Site
• NPUASTS Drone Replacement Program
• ND Commerce news: drone replacement program nears final procurement stage (Sept. 15, 2026)
• ND Commerce Autonomous Systems
• ND Commerce: Vantis
• ND Commerce: Autonomous Agriculture Grant Program
• ND Commerce: UAS Business Opportunities
• North Dakota APEX Accelerator
• North Dakota Small Business Development Centers
• North Dakota Department of Commerce
• Northern Plains UAS Test Site: About
• FAA: UAS Test Site Program (lists nine FAA UAS Test Sites; last updated July 10, 2026)
• DoD APEX Accelerators site and office locator

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

All states