Registrations & certifications
- SAM.gov registration
- UEI & entity validation
- Cal eProcure registration
- SBA / DSBS profile setup
- Local agency vendor registration
- SB / SB-PW certification
- MBE / WBE / DBE assistance
Serving clients nationwide · California-based
Government Contracting & Grant Consulting — Serving Clients Nationwide
California-based. Federal registration, certification, proposal, grant and advisory services available nationwide — with state and local contracting across California. Every service, every price, in the open.
All 50 statesSmall businessesNonprofitsContractorsPublic agencies
Our services
Four categories, and they build on each other.
Most firms sell one of these. The reason to buy them together is that each is a prerequisite for the next — and the order is where people lose months.
Business formation & compliance
- LLC & corporation formation
- S-corp election assistance
- Sole proprietor setup
- Nonprofit & 501(c)(3) formation
- Annual filings
- Renewals & compliance
Proposals, research & funding
- Proposal & RFP writing
- Bid support
- Capability statement writing
- Grant writing
- Funding strategy
- Business development support
Project & financing support
- Feasibility studies
- Market & industry analysis
- Business plans
- Financial projections
- Funding packages
- Loan application support
- Lender-ready documentation
Choose your category — click any of the four to see how it works.
Legal document preparation assistance
Professional assistance with the preparation of permitted legal documents for individuals and businesses, where allowed by law.
Category 02, in full
Business formation & compliance
The structure you choose on day one decides what you pay in tax, what you're personally liable for, and what you have to file every year for as long as the business exists. Most people pick it in five minutes and live with it for a decade.
LLC & corporation formation
Articles drafted and filed with the Secretary of State, EIN obtained, and the operating agreement or bylaws that decide who owns what and what happens when someone leaves.
S-corp election assistance
Form 2553 prepared and filed within the deadline, once we've checked the election actually saves you money. In California an S-corp still pays franchise tax on net income, so it isn't automatically the right answer.
Sole proprietor setup
Fictitious business name filed with the county, the newspaper publication requirement handled, EIN if you need one, and a straight answer about when it's time to incorporate instead.
Nonprofit & 501(c)(3) formation
Articles written with the IRS purpose and dissolution language, bylaws and conflict-of-interest policy adopted, EIN issued, then Form 1023-EZ prepared and filed. Incorporating alone does not make you tax-exempt.
Annual filings
California wants a Statement of Information — every two years for an LLC, every year for a corporation. Miss it and the Franchise Tax Board penalizes you, then the state suspends the entity.
Renewals & compliance
One calendar covering your Statement of Information, franchise tax dates, SAM.gov renewal, certification affidavits and charity registration renewal — with reminders before each window closes.
| Structure | Who it suits | Personal liability | Ongoing California filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietor+ DBA | One person testing an idea, no employees, low risk | Yours, personally | County fictitious business name, renewed every five years |
| LLC | Most small businesses and contractors | Limited, if you keep the formalities | Statement of Information (LLC-12) every two years · $800 minimum franchise tax |
| LLC or corporationwith S-corp election | Profitable owners paying themselves a salary | Limited, same as above | IRS Form 2553 once · California taxes S-corp net income at 1.5%, $800 minimum |
| C corporation | Outside investors, stock, going bigger | Limited | Statement of Information (SI-550) every year · $800 minimum franchise tax |
| Nonprofit corporation | Charitable, educational and community organizations | Limited; directors owe duties to the mission | Statement of Information (SI-100) every two years · charity registration and annual renewal with the Attorney General |
This is a starting point, not advice about your situation. We walk through it with you on the consultation call, and where the answer turns on tax we tell you to ask your CPA.
The path
Registered, then certified, then competitive. That order.
Certifications require an entity that already exists and books that already balance. Bids require certifications already granted. Skipping ahead is why applications come back rejected.
Stage one
Get registered
Exist, legally, in the eyes of the state and the federal government.
- Entity formed and in good standing
- EIN and governing documents
- UEI and active SAM.gov registration
- State and local vendor systems
Stage two
Get certified
Qualify for the set-asides and goals that decide who gets invited.
- DBE, MBE, WBE, SBE
- WOSB / EDWOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone
- SBA 8(a) Business Development
- Renewals and annual affidavits
Stage three
Win the work
Turn eligibility into revenue.
- Capability statement buyers keep
- Bid and RFP responses
- Grant strategy and proposals
- Project and financing reports
Certifications
What each one costs and how long it really takes.
Most federal certifications are free to apply for. What they cost is months, and an application that comes back for more information costs months again.
| Certification | Who it's for | Application fee | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBA 8(a)Business Development | Socially and economically disadvantaged owners | No fee | 3–6 months from a complete application |
| HUBZone | Businesses based and hiring in a HUBZone | No fee | 2–4 months |
| WOSB / EDWOSB | Women-owned small businesses | No fee to self-certify | 30–90 days if third-party certified |
| SDVOSB / VOSB | Veteran and service-disabled veteran owners | No fee | 2–6 months |
| DBE / ACDBEstate administered | Transportation and airport contracting | No fee | 3–9 months, varies by state |
| MBENMSDC | Minority-owned businesses selling to corporations | $270–$1,700 | 60–120 days |
| WBEWBENC | Women-owned businesses selling to corporations | $350–$1,250 | 60–120 days |
Certifying-body fees scale with your revenue and are billed to you at cost. GERC's fee is for preparing and submitting the application, assembling the financial and ownership evidence, and answering the reviewer when they come back with questions — which they usually do.
Where we work
Federal contracting nationwide. State and local contracting across California.
Federal registration and certification don't care where you sit — SAM.gov, a UEI, 8(a) or HUBZone work the same from Sacramento or Savannah. State and local systems are different in every state, and California is the one we know cold.
Nationwide — federal contractors, any state
- SAM.gov registration, renewal, UEI and CAGE code
- SBA 8(a) Business Development applications
- HUBZone, WOSB / EDWOSB, SDVOSB / VOSB certification
- SBA profile and DSBS listing built to be found by federal buyers
- NAICS and PSC code selection, capability statements
- Federal bid, RFP and RFQ responses, and federal grant proposals
- Post-award contract administration, reporting and subcontracting plans
Statewide — California contractors
- DIR contractor registration for public works
- Cal eProcure registration and California state vendor systems
- DGS Small Business (SB) and Small Business for Public Works (SB-PW) certification
- DVBE certification for California's disabled veteran business goal
- DBE and ACDBE certification through the California UCP
- LA County registration and certification, and city, county, school district, community college and transit vendor systems
- California entity formation, Statements of Information, and nonprofit 501(c)(3) and charity registration
Based in San Bernardino and working across the Inland Empire, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Diego, the Central Valley and the Bay Area — and remotely with federal contractors in every state. Most of this work happens by email, phone and shared documents, so where you are matters less than whether the paperwork is right.
Service detail
What each one costs you, in time and in money.
Plain explanations of the registrations, certifications and filings behind the phases above — who qualifies, what the government charges, how long it really takes, and where applications fail.
How we charge
Flat fees, and we say no when the answer is no.
Grant writing is always a flat fee, never a percentage of the award. Paying a writer out of grant funds or on contingency is barred by professional standards and can put the award itself at risk. Anyone who offers you a percentage is telling you something about how they work.
The same principle runs through the rest of it. Nobody can promise a certification, a contract, or a grant — the reviewer decides. What we control is that the application is complete, compliant, and submitted on time, which is where most of them actually fail.
And if a certification doesn't fit you, we say so before you pay for it. A rejected 8(a) application costs you the better part of a year.
What you should expect from us
- An eligibility check before you pay for any certification package.
- Government and certifier fees passed through at cost, itemized separately, never marked up.
- A flat fee agreed up front, so the price doesn't move because the work took longer. Where scope decides the number, we quote it before we start.
- A straight answer about your odds, including when they're poor.
- 50% to start and the balance on delivery, so neither of us is carrying the other.
- Work outside the agreed scope quoted before it starts, never invoiced as a surprise.
- Document preparation and filing — not legal advice. When you need an attorney or a CPA, we tell you.
The program
Four phases. Each one only works once the last is done.
This is the route from "we exist" to "we bid and win". Start at Phase 1, or come in wherever you already are — we'll tell you honestly which phase you're actually at. Phase 4 comes two ways: we watch the boards, or we watch them and write the bid.
Phase 4 — choose one, month to month
Phase 5 — post-award setup
Government and certifier fees — DIR registration, certifier dues, state filing fees — are billed to you at exactly what the agency charges. Not yet formed as a business? Formation services are listed in the form below and can run alongside Phase 1.
Hire us
Tell us where you are, and what you're going after.
One form. Everything we need to start is collected in a single pass — no follow-up email chain.
Engagement summary
Here's exactly what we captured. Continue to checkout to pay, or copy this and send it to us if you'd rather talk first.
Step 3 of 3 — your order is with us. Choose how you'd like to pay.
Questions
Straight answers before you sign.
Can you guarantee I'll get certified?
No, and nobody can. The certifying body decides. What we control is that the application is complete, consistent, and submitted with the evidence they ask for — which is where most rejections come from.
Do you take a percentage of grants you win?
Never. Grant work is a flat fee. Contingency and percentage arrangements are barred by professional standards and can jeopardize the award itself.
Isn't SAM.gov registration free?
Yes, and you can do it yourself. What you're paying us for is getting it right the first time — entity validation, NAICS selection, representations and certifications — and keeping it active.
How long until I can bid on something?
Registration takes weeks. Certification takes months — 3 to 6 for 8(a), 3 to 9 for DBE depending on the state. Anyone quoting you faster than the government's own timeline is guessing.
Are government fees included?
No, and we don't mark them up. Most federal certifications are free. NMSDC and WBENC charge by revenue. State filing fees vary. All of it appears on your invoice at cost.
Do you serve contractors outside California?
Yes. Federal registrations and certifications — SAM.gov, UEI, CAGE, 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB — are handled for contractors anywhere in the United States. State and local work like DIR, Cal eProcure and SB/SB-PW is California-specific.
Do you act as my registered agent?
No. You'll name your own agent on the paperwork, and we'll tell you exactly what your state requires of them.
Can you fix an application someone else got wrong?
Usually. A rejected certification, a lapsed registration, articles missing required language — tell us where it stands and we'll map what it takes to put right.
Are you attorneys or accountants?
No. GERC prepares and files documents and builds proposals. We don't provide legal or tax advice, and we say so when you need a professional who does.
Talk to us
Dr. Shirley Ayangbah
Founder & Lead Strategist
Tell us where you are and what you're going after. If GERC isn't the right fit, we'll say so on the first call.
- Phone
- (909) 454-7076
- info@gercconsulting.com
- Office
- 255 N. D Street, Ste. #200-XXVII
San Bernardino, CA 92401