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How to become a vendor in Virginia

Updated November 11, 2026. Registration facts checked on official Virginia pages on November 10, 2026; sources are listed at the end. EasBid is an independent bid search service and is not part of the State of Virginia or any government agency. Always confirm requirements on the state's own pages before you apply.

To become a vendor in Virginia, you register your business in eVA, Virginia's eProcurement Marketplace, the supplier system run by Division of Purchases and Supply, Virginia Department of General Services (DGS). On fees, the official page says: No registration fee is stated on the eVA pages read; eVA does issue fee invoices to suppliers through its eVA Billing site. Once you are registered and have picked your NIGP codes, state agencies can find you and you can receive notices for bids that match what you sell. Right now EasBid lists 951 open government bids in Virginia from state, local and federal sources.

Get new Virginia government bids by email, free.One email a week, no card. Turn it off any time.

Virginia vendor registration at a glance

Where to registereVA, Virginia's eProcurement Marketplace
Who runs state purchasingDivision of Purchases and Supply, Virginia Department of General Services (DGS)
Registration feeNo registration fee is stated on the eVA pages read; eVA does issue fee invoices to suppliers through its eVA Billing site
Codes used to match bidsNIGP (eVA has an NIGP code look-up)
Certification programsSWaM (Small, Women-owned and Minority-owned) certification, plus DBE and service-disabled veteran status (Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, SBSD)
Facts checkedNovember 10, 2026

How to register as a Virginia vendor, step by step

These are the steps as the state describes them, in plain words. The portal may word things differently, and it can change, so keep the official page open beside you.

  1. Open eVA's Register Now page and choose Supplier Registration (state agencies and local governments use separate logins).
  2. Follow eVA's New Supplier Registration Guide to enter your business details and contacts.
  3. Look up and select your NIGP commodity codes so you are notified of matching opportunities.
  4. After registering, log in and attach a signed Commonwealth of Virginia Substitute W-9 under General Info, Documents & Certs; eVA does not treat registration as complete without it, and payments are delayed without it.
  5. Find bids in Virginia Business Opportunities (VBO) on eVA and respond to them.
  6. If you qualify, apply for SWaM (small, women- and minority-owned) certification with the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, which is free.

What to have ready before you start

Registration goes faster when the basics are in front of you. For Virginia, gather:

Does it cost anything to register in Virginia?

No registration fee is stated on the eVA pages read; eVA does issue fee invoices to suppliers through its eVA Billing site. Be careful with outside services that offer to register you for a price. The state's own portal is where registration happens, and Virginia does not require you to use a paid middleman to sell to its agencies. Some separate things can cost money, such as a notary for a form, a professional license, insurance or a bid bond on construction work.

Which commodity codes does Virginia use?

Virginia matches vendors to bids with NIGP (eVA has an NIGP code look-up). NIGP codes are a commodity and services code set used by many state and local buyers. They are more detailed than NAICS for products, so pick the narrow five-digit codes that match what you sell rather than one broad class. If you also want federal work, you will need NAICS codes for SAM.gov; our free NAICS code lookup and the guide what a NAICS code is help you pick them.

Certification programs in Virginia

Certification is separate from registration. You can register and bid without it, but a certificate can open set-aside contracts or count toward goals that agencies and prime contractors have to meet. The programs the state points to:

DBE. A Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certification comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation program that each state runs through a Unified Certification Program. It matters most on road, transit and airport jobs paid for with federal transportation money, where prime contractors set DBE participation goals.

MBE/WBE. Minority- and women-owned business certifications show that a firm is at least 51% owned and controlled by people in those groups. State agencies use them to count toward participation goals, and some cities and counties accept the state's certificate in place of their own.

Small business. Small business programs reserve some purchases for firms under a size limit, or give them a preference when bids are close. The size limits are set by each program, not by the federal SBA tables, so check the state's own definition.

Veteran. Veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned programs give certified firms access to goals or set-asides on state contracts. Federal veteran set-asides use a separate certification from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Federal programs such as 8(a), HUBZone, women-owned (WOSB) and service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVOSB) are certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration, not by the state; see small business set-asides explained.

Cities, counties and school districts in Virginia

Cities, counties and school districts usually run their own purchasing and bid lists, so registering with the state does not register you with them; check each local buyer you want to sell to.

Large local governments in Virginia include Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Richmond, Newport News. Each one usually keeps its own vendor list and posts its own bids, so register with the ones you want to sell to as well.

EasBid reads many of these local sources together with the state's, so one search shows state and local bids side by side.

What Virginia agencies are buying right now

As of November 11, 2026, EasBid lists 951 open bids in Virginia. The busiest categories are Defense, Aerospace & Research (409), Equipment, Supplies & MRO (239), IT, Software & Telecom (135). Looking at what is open now is a good way to choose your codes and to see which agencies buy what you sell.

See new Virginia bids this week.

Federal contracts in Virginia

A Virginia registration covers state agencies only. Federal agencies, including the military bases, VA medical centers and national parks in Virginia, buy through SAM.gov, which has its own free registration and gives you a Unique Entity ID. Our step-by-step guide to registering in SAM.gov walks through it, and federal bids on EasBid lists open notices.

Tips for your first Virginia bid

  1. Read the whole solicitation before you price anything; the due date, the question deadline and the submission method are usually on the first pages. Our guide on reading a solicitation shows what to look for.
  2. Ask questions in writing before the question deadline. Answers are usually posted as an addendum that every bidder can see.
  3. Check whether the bid needs a license, insurance certificate or bond, and get those started early.
  4. Submit through the channel the notice names, eVA, Virginia's eProcurement Marketplace or otherwise, and leave a day of margin; late bids are normally rejected.
  5. Whether you win or lose, ask for the award results. They show the winning prices and help you price the next one.

New to the bid types? See RFP, RFQ and IFB explained and how to win government contracts.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a fee to register as a vendor in Virginia?

The official page says: No registration fee is stated on the eVA pages read; eVA does issue fee invoices to suppliers through its eVA Billing site

What codes does Virginia use for vendor registration?

Virginia uses NIGP (eVA has an NIGP code look-up). Pick every code that matches what you sell, because the codes decide which bid notices you receive.

Do I need a certification to bid on Virginia contracts?

No. Certification is optional and separate from registration. Programs such as SWaM (Small, Women-owned and Minority-owned) certification, plus DBE and service-disabled veteran status (Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, SBSD) can open set-asides or count toward participation goals.

Does registering with Virginia cover cities and counties?

Usually not. Cities, counties and school districts usually run their own purchasing and bid lists, so registering with the state does not register you with them; check each local buyer you want to sell to.

Is Virginia vendor registration the same as SAM.gov?

No. eVA, Virginia's eProcurement Marketplace is for Virginia state agencies. Federal contracts need a separate, free SAM.gov registration.

How do I find Virginia government bids?

Watch eVA, Virginia's eProcurement Marketplace for state bids and the purchasing pages of the cities, counties and schools you want to sell to. EasBid lists open Virginia bids from state, local and federal sources in one search (951 open as of November 11, 2026).

Get new Virginia government bids by email, free.One email a week, no card. Turn it off any time.

Sources

Official pages read for this guide. Facts are summarized in our own words; follow the links for the full official text.

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