GERC helps businesses, nonprofits and public agencies across Southern California become eligible for government contracts and grant funding — and then actually win them. Our office is in San Bernardino and we work throughout the region.
Guidance is not the same as implementation
A great deal of free advice exists for businesses that want to sell to government. Workshops, guides, counselling sessions, webinars. What is scarce is somebody who will actually complete the registration, prepare the certification application, write the capability statement and submit the proposal.
That is what GERC does. We are a hands-on implementation firm, not a general business consultancy. You can get told what to do in a lot of places; we do it with you.
Three layers of government buying, and only one is the same everywhere
This is the thing most businesses discover too late. Selling to government in Southern California means dealing with three separate layers, and they do not share systems, certifications or vendor lists.
- Federal — uniform nationwide. One registration in SAM.gov, one UEI, one set of federal socio-economic certifications. What works in San Bernardino works identically in Long Beach.
- State of California — also uniform statewide. Cal eProcure registration and California SB, Micro, SB-PW and DVBE certification apply wherever you are in California.
- Local — this is where it fragments. Every county, city, transit agency, port, airport authority, school district and special district runs its own vendor registration, and several run their own certification programmes entirely separate from the state’s.
A business registered federally and certified by the state can still be invisible to the county it operates in. That local layer is where most of the missed opportunity sits, and it differs by market.
The markets we serve
- San Bernardino & the Inland Empire — our home market. Logistics, warehousing, construction and public works.
- Riverside County — one of the region’s largest public employers and buyers, plus agriculture and healthcare.
- Orange County — a county procurement office with its own small business and disabled veteran preference policies, and a dense aerospace, defence and medical device supply chain.
- Los Angeles County — the largest and most layered local market in the state, with several separate certification systems operating at once.
We also work with clients in San Diego and Ventura counties, and nationwide on federal work. See all service areas.
The sequence we take clients through
- Register — SAM.gov for federal work, Cal eProcure for California, plus the local agency portals that matter in your market
- Certify — California SB, Micro, SB-PW and DVBE, federal socio-economic programmes, and the local certifications that carry preference where you bid
- Position — a capability statement a contracting officer can act on, and codes chosen for the work you want
- Pursue — proposals and RFP responses, and grant applications where funding rather than contracting is the route
- Maintain — renewals and ongoing compliance, because eligibility lapses quietly
How we work with you
Most of what we do is delivered remotely, by phone and video, because registrations, applications and proposals are built from documents rather than site visits. Where an in-person meeting genuinely helps — a kickoff, a proposal review, a board presentation — we travel from our San Bernardino office.
Common questions
Do you only work in Southern California?
No. Federal registration, grant writing and proposal work are delivered nationwide. Southern California is where we are closest and where we can meet in person.
Which market should I register in first?
Usually federal, because SAM.gov is required for federal contracts and grants and takes the longest. State and local registration can run alongside it. Which local agencies are worth the effort depends entirely on what you sell and where.
Is government work realistic for a small business?
Often yes — small business set-asides and preference programmes exist precisely to make it so. But not always. We will tell you honestly on the first call if we think the answer is no.
Schedule a Consultation
- Call (909) 454-7076 — the fastest route. Monday to Friday.
- Book a consultation — pick a time that suits you.
- Email us about Southern California — opens a message already titled, so it reaches the right person.
If you only want to know whether you need this at all, ask. There is no charge for that conversation.
GERC is a woman-led advisory firm led by Dr. Shirley Ayangbah, a PhD legal economist with more than 14 years of experience. Registered in SAM.gov under CAGE code 11SD2, certified as a California Small Business (Micro) and for Public Works. NAICS 541611, 541618 and 541690.