How to register as a vendor with City of Houston

City of Houston posts its solicitations on Beacon Bid (City of Houston agency page).^[1] All City of Houston solicitations are published on Beacon Bid; suppliers from the old system still have to complete Beacon registration.

Changed recently: Beacon Bid replaced the city's previous e-bid system on February 1, 2025, and all suppliers must register there to see and answer solicitations.^[2]

BidRover is tracking 8 open bids from buyers in and around City of Houston. Most common categories:

• Utilities & telecommunications · 4
• Software & digital services · 3
• Education & training · 1

1. The Beta Academy: Data Transmission And/Or Internet Access (E-Rate FY2027)Texas, United States · Due Nov 19, 2026
2. Galena Park Indep School Dist: Internal Connections, Managed Internal Broadband Services, Basic Maintenance Of Internal Connections (E-Rate FY2027)Texas, United States · Due Nov 17, 2026
3. Alief Indep School District: Data Transmission And/Or Internet Access (E-Rate FY2027)Texas, United States · Due Nov 12, 2026
4. Harris County Department Of Education: Data Transmission And/Or Internet Access (E-Rate FY2027)Texas, United States · Due Nov 17, 2026
5. Spring Indep School District: Internal Connections, Basic Maintenance Of Internal Connections (E-Rate FY2027)Texas, United States · Due Nov 7, 2026
6. Spring Indep School District: Internal Connections, Basic Maintenance Of Internal Connections (E-Rate FY2027)Texas, United States · Due Nov 3, 2026

1. 01

   Register on SAP Business Network supplier registration plus Beacon Bid subscription

   Start registration. Cost: No fee listed by the City of Houston. On Beacon Bid, click "Subscribe to Agency" to start; the city posts a Beacon Supplier Registration Guide. Suppliers must also register through SAP Business Network to do business with the city, and their information is then loaded to Beacon.^[2]

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

   MBE, WBE, SBE and PDBE certification (plus DBE/ACDBE), through the City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity. Apply online at houston.mwdbe.com; local MWSBE and PDBE certifications last three years, while DBE/ACDBE must be updated each year.^[3]

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 City of Houston 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.

• Register in SAP Business Network as well, since the city loads supplier records from it into Beacon and uses it to transact business.

1. houstontx.gov/bizwithhou/SupplierPortal.html
2. houstontx.gov/bizwithhou/Beacon.html
3. houstontx.gov/obo/certification_overview.html