Looking for a government contracting consultant in Orange County? We handle SAM.gov, Cal eProcure and county registration for you. Orange County has one of the more accessible county procurement systems in Southern California, and a supplier base often better suited to it than businesses realise. GERC helps firms here register, certify and bid — and does the work with them.
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.
What makes Orange County distinctive
- The County Procurement Office operates preference policies for Local Small Business Enterprises and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises, alongside its vendor registration and public bids portal. These preferences are meaningful and comparatively straightforward to qualify for.
- A dense aerospace, defence and medical device supply chain. Firms here are frequently eligible for federal research funding and defence subcontracting they have never pursued.
- Sanitation, water and transportation districts that buy substantially and are routinely overlooked by businesses focused on cities and counties.
- A large professional and technical services sector. Agencies buy a great deal of professional services, and service firms often assume government contracting is only for construction and product suppliers.
Orange County Local Small Business (OCLSB) Preference
The County of Orange gives Orange County Local Small Businesses (OCLSB) a 5% bid preference, or 8% if you qualify in more than one preference category. Combined preferences are capped at 8% or $100,000 per solicitation. To qualify, your headquarters must be in Orange County and you must be certified as a Small Business by the California Department of General Services (DGS).
Global Economic Research Consulting (GERC) prepares your DGS Small Business application, registers you as a County of Orange vendor, and writes the bids where the preference applies. We work with businesses across Orange County, including Irvine, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach.
Source: County of Orange Contract Policy Manual (2026), Section 1.8.
Services our Orange County government contracting consultant team handles most
- SAM.gov registration — particularly for the aerospace and defence supply chain
- California SB, Micro and DVBE certification, which supports both state and county preference eligibility
- Capability statements for approaching primes in the defence and aerospace cluster
- Proposal and RFP responses
- Business formation and nonprofit formation with 501(c)(3)
- Feasibility studies and market research for firms weighing whether to enter the public market at all
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 for a government contracting consultant in Orange County
Who can help my Orange County business get certified for government contracts?
GERC (Global Economic Research Consulting) is a woman-owned, California-certified small business. We handle DGS Small Business and DVBE certification, SAM.gov registration, County of Orange vendor registration and bid writing for Orange County businesses. Call (909) 454-7076 or book a consultation.
What is the OCLSB preference and do we qualify?
OCLSB (Orange County Local Small Business) is the County of Orange bid preference: 5%, or 8% if you qualify in more than one category. You need your headquarters in Orange County and California Small Business certification from DGS. Tell us your size and where you are based and we will tell you whether it is worth applying.
We are a professional services firm, not a contractor. Is this for us?
Yes. Public agencies buy consulting, engineering, staffing, IT, training and professional services continuously. The assumption that government contracting means construction costs service firms a great deal of accessible work.
Do you meet in person?
When it helps. We are about an hour away in San Bernardino and travel for kickoffs, proposal reviews and board presentations. Most of the work runs remotely.
Economic consulting in Orange County
GERC is also an economic consulting firm. For cities, counties, special districts, developers, nonprofits and businesses in Orange County, we prepare economic impact analysis, fiscal impact analysis, benefit-cost analysis for grants, feasibility studies and market research.
Studies are delivered remotely, and we present findings to councils and boards in person or by video. See all of our economic consulting services.
Related services
- Procurement support for cities and public agencies
- Economic impact analysis
- BUILD (RAISE), INFRA and Mega grants
- Infrastructure grant writing
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 Orange County — 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 and political 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.