The State Wants to Do Business with You

1. Register Your Business: Registration allows vendors to receive purchase orders and payments from the State of Michigan.  Before you begin, be prepared.  You will need to have your Tax ID number, banking information, and business characteristics available.  Once a unique user ID and password have been established, you will be able to update your vendor registration account online.   It is recommended that you log in at least once a year to keep your registration current.  Follow this link to Register Your Business.  
2. Prepare and Research: The State recommends that businesses interested in winning government bids should prepare by researching contracts in their area of interest.  Information is readily available to help you determine what the State buys and which departments are making the purchasing decisions.  The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) also allows any person to inspect, copy, or receive a copy, of a public record.  Thus key elements of winning proposals are available to wise bidders who submit a Freedom of Information Act request.
3. Find Opportunities: The Bids and Proposals section of the Buy Michigan First website offers detailed information of contracts that are currently available.  There are a wide variety of bidding opportunities available on an ongoing basis so visit this area regularly to maximize your potential for new business.
4. Bid: To maximize your likelihood of winning a contract, the State recommends being competitive, complete, and timely.  Review the entire invitation to bid, and attend pre-bid meetings if they are available, especially when they are mandatory.  The Buy Michigan First site also lists numerous resources that can help including Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs), which are not-for-profit organizations whose mission is to enhance national defense and the economic development of the State of Michigan.  They do so by assisting Michigan businesses in obtaining, and performing on, federal, state, and local government contracts. There are 13 PTACs throughout Michigan offering marketing, technical consulting, and training to Michigan businesses. 

5. Debrief:  In the event that you bid on, but are not awarded a contract, the State affords you the opportunity to learn from the experience by arranging a debriefing session with the buyer.  The purpose of the meeting is to gain insight as to the strengths of your bid as well as deficiencies that led to the loss.  Taking advantage of such meetings can help to prepare you for the next available bid. 

To ensure fair and equitable treatment, a protest process is in place in the event that a bidder believes the process or outcome was inappropriate or unfair.  Only a bidder on a given solicitation may protest an award decision, however.