Portland anchors Oregon’s largest public contracting market. The City of Portland, Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, TriMet, the Port of Portland, Metro regional government, public universities and school districts buy year-round, and the State of Oregon buys statewide from Salem.
GERC helps businesses compete for that work. We don’t hand you a to-do list. We complete the filings, write the documents and submit them with you.
Where the opportunities come from
- OregonBuys, the state’s e-procurement system for vendor registration and bids.
- COBID certification (Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity), which certifies MBE, WBE, DBE, ESB and SDVBE firms for Oregon public contracts.
- The City of Portland, Multnomah County and Metro, each with equity and inclusion goals.
- TriMet and the Port of Portland, with DBE goals on federally funded work.
What GERC handles for you
- OregonBuys vendor registration
- COBID certification file preparation
- Federal certifications including 8(a), WOSB, HUBZone and DBE
- SAM.gov registration and UEI validation for federal work
- Capability statements and proposal and RFP writing built around evaluation criteria
- Certified payroll and prevailing wage support for public works contractors
Why hands-on support wins
Many Portland-area buyers set aspirational goals for COBID-certified firms. Certification can put you on prime contractors’ short lists. For statewide details, see our Oregon government contracting consultant page.
Our process
- An honest assessment. On the first call we tell you whether government work is realistic for your business right now and which opportunities are worth pursuing.
- We prepare and submit. Registrations, certification files, capability statements and proposals, each checked against the agency’s current rules before it goes out.
- We stay with you until your registration or certification is approved, and through every bid until the award decision is in. That includes answering agency questions, handling resubmissions, renewals and compliance.
GERC is a woman-owned firm led by Dr. Shirley Ayangbah, a PhD legal and political economist, serving clients nationwide and worldwide. Book a strategy consultation and tell us what you want to win.