How to register as a vendor with Harris County

Harris County posts its solicitations on Harris County Bonfire portal.^[1] County Purchasing distributes and receives all its bids and proposals through Bonfire; Harris Health has its own procurement services office.

Changed recently: The county's vendor diversity page says DBE and HUB certification programs are currently suspended (a certification freeze), so firms are pointed to other certifying partners.^[2]

BidRover has no open bids tagged to Harris County at the moment. Open bids across Texas are one click away.

1. 01

   Register on Bonfire supplier registration

   Start registration. Cost: Free. Create a Bonfire account and pick NIGP codes; registered suppliers get automatic email notices for matching opportunities. Vendors must keep registration data such as email addresses current.^[1]

2. 02

   Choose your commodity codes

   Notifications are sent by the codes in your vendor profile. Pick every code that describes your work, and revisit them when you add a service.

3. 03

   Get certified if you qualify

   M/WBE credit through recognized certifying agencies, through the Harris County Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity. The county does not certify firms itself; it accepts City of Houston, Texas Comptroller HUB, SBA 8(a), TUCP DBE, NMSDC, HMSDC, WBENC and WBEA certifications.^[2]

4. 04

   Watch the other buyers

   State agencies in Texas buy through the state portal, and school districts, transit agencies and utilities in the area usually post on their own sites. Registering with Harris County does not register you with them.

Exact requirements vary by portal; the registration page linked above is the authority. Most ask for:

• Your legal business name and address exactly as registered with the state, and your federal tax ID (EIN, or SSN for some sole proprietors).
• A signed IRS Form W-9, which most buyers collect before they can pay you.
• Commodity codes (NIGP, UNSPSC or NAICS, depending on the portal) for every product and service you sell.
• A contact who will receive bid notices, plus any business license or registration the jurisdiction requires.
• Certificates of insurance and, for construction, bonding capacity: these are usually requested per bid rather than at registration.

Procurements of $100,000 or less are informal; $100,001 and over are formal and published in a newspaper with at least 14 days notice.^[3]

• For M/WBE goal credit, a firm must already be certified when it submits; pending certification does not count.
• M/WBE firms also need a significant local presence in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria or Galveston County, or proof of three contracts there in the last three years.

1. purchasing.harriscountytx.gov/Services/Online-Solicitation-Opportunities
2. deeo.harriscountytx.gov/Inclusive-Procurements/Vendor-Diversity
3. purchasing.harriscountytx.gov/Services/Doing-Business-with-Harris-County