We manage more than 180 statewide contracts for goods and services. These contracts are awarded to over 1,500 businesses, many of them small businesses. State and local government agencies, tribal governments and nonprofit organizations purchase roughly $2.1 billion in goods and services from these businesses each year.

Register in WEBS

Businesses that sell goods or services to government agencies must register in WEBS, Washington’s Electronic Business Solution. It takes about 10 minutes and you’ll need to provide your: 

• Business name and contact information  
• Tax Identification Number (TIN) 

Once you register, you can: 

• Certify as a Washington state small business if you qualify 
• Select commodity codes that apply to your business 
• Sign up for notifications about future bid opportunities for your commodity codes 

Quarterly sales reporting

DES requires all vendors on statewide contracts to report their quarterly sales.

Help for small, diverse and veteran-owned businesses 

State agencies are actively seeking to spend money with small, diverse and veteran-owned Washington businesses. Here are some resources to help you get started doing business with them:  

• Learn about how to sell to the state at our monthly State Contracting Opportunities & Open House 
• Subscribe to our monthly email bulletin for small, diverse and veteran-owned businesses 
• View upcoming bid opportunities (planned procurements)  
• Get tips for small, diverse and veteran-owned businesses  

Responding to a bid opportunity

Pre-bid conference, bidder questions and solicitation amendments

• You are encouraged to attend the pre-bid conference to learn more and ask questions about the solicitation. You can contact the solicitation poster to find out if there's a pre-bid conference.
• Questions asked during the solicitation question-and-answer period will be added in the amendments section of the WEBS posting.
• Any changes to a solicitation prior to the bid due date will be posted in WEBS as solicitation amendments. Anyone who downloaded the original solicitation will receive an email from WEBS notifying them about amendments.

Submitting your bid

• Ensure you read and understand the solicitation document, all appendices, amendments, and other attachments.
• Ensure your bid is complete.
• Include all required attachments and documentation.
• Make sure you download the solicitation from WEBS to ensure you get an email about any amendments. Bidders are responsible for checking WEBS and should do so frequently.
• If required, you must sign and return a copy of each amendment before the bid due date.

Bid evaluations

1. After the solicitation is closed, bids are evaluated using a formula specific to the opportunity.
2. The bid(s) that score the highest will receive awards.
3. After the Apparent Successful Bidder (ASB) is announced, winning bids for statewide contracts are posted on the contract summary pages.
4. You can see other bids by requesting a public record.

Getting paid

There are two ways to get paid by the state:

The Office of Financial Management (OFM) pays vendors via check or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). OFM has information for vendors about the payment process and how to get help.

Businesses can also accept payment through a state credit card, called a purchase card. They work the same as any credit card.

Getting licensed

All businesses on statewide contracts must be registered with the Washington Secretary of the State and Department of Revenue.

Some businesses need a license from the Washington state Department of Licensing. Requirements vary by business and state of residence.