1 Register your business with the state Free
- Get your Business Registration Certificate (BRC) by filing NJ-REG with the Division of Revenue at njportal.com/DOR/BusinessRegistration. Registering for taxes is free.
- Get your BRC before you bid. The law requires you to provide it before a contract is awarded (N.J.S.A. 52:32-44, as amended by P.L. 2009, c. 315), and the Division of Purchase and Property treats a bidder without one as ineligible for award. For local government bids, State guidance says you must already have it when bids are received, even if the copy follows later (Local Finance Notice 2010-4). Many solicitations ask for a copy with your bid, so read each one. A BRC is not required when the contract, and your total contracts with that agency in its fiscal year, stay within 15 percent of its bid threshold (Division of Revenue).
- If you have not formed your entity yet: NJ formation filing is $100 as of July 1, 2026, plus the $75 annual report.
2 Get certified; the fees are waived Free
- Small Business Enterprise (SBE) registration puts you in the pool for New Jersey's 25% small business set-aside goal. Register with the Division of Revenue's Small Business Enterprise Unit: NJ Small Business Set-Aside Program.
- MWBE, veteran-owned, disabled-veteran, and LGBTQ+ certifications run through the same Treasury Business Certification Program. Rule of thumb: 51% ownership plus real control of daily operations.
Money fact: the $100 certification application fee has been waived indefinitely by the NJ Treasury (checked October 2026). Certifying costs you nothing.
3 Register on NJSTART, the state's bid portal Free
- NJSTART is where the Division of Purchase and Property posts most state solicitations: RFPs, active contracts, and vendor records.
- Register as a vendor, select your NIGP commodity codes (the product and service codes NJSTART uses; look yours up with the DPP Commodity Code Search), and turn on bid notifications for those codes. Keep your NAICS codes handy too; you will need them for federal contracting (step 4), per the SBA's basic requirements.
- The bid flow: download the bid documents, read every requirement, prepare exactly what is asked, submit before the deadline.
4 Want federal contracts too? Register on SAM.gov Free
- Get your free Unique Entity ID (UEI) and register at SAM.gov; registration and renewal are free.
- Check the SBA HUBZone map: HUBZone-certified firms tap a federal goal of at least 3% of contract dollars.
- Socially and economically disadvantaged owners: look at the SBA 8(a) Business Development program (9 years of sole-source eligibility and mentoring) via sba.gov.
5 Find the bids
- State: NJSTART solicitations (step 3).
- County and local: NJ counties post bids on their own purchasing pages; UCEDC keeps a list on its Government Contracting Resources page. Your own county and town are usually the easiest first win.
- Port Authority of NY/NJ: its own procurement portal, plus supplier diversity certification.
- Federal: Contract Opportunities search on SAM.gov.
6 Get free coaching before you bid Free
- APEX Accelerators (the successor to PTAC): free one-on-one government contracting counseling. NJ hosts include NJIT and UCEDC.
- NJSBDC: free-to-low-cost advising through seven regional centers at colleges and universities across the state (find yours by county); the network says nearly all services are provided at no cost.
- Project Spectrum: free cybersecurity assessments to meet federal contract security requirements (linked from the UCEDC resources page).
7 How small businesses actually win
- Write a one-page capability statement: what you do, NAICS codes, certifications, past work, contact. Agencies and primes ask for this first.
- Subcontract first. Large primes on big state and federal jobs need certified small business subcontractors to meet their own goals; that is often the fastest way in.
- Start local and small: county and municipal quotes under bid thresholds move fast and build past performance.
- Bid only on work you can actually deliver; one completed government job makes every next bid easier.
Sources for this guide
- NJ Division of Purchase and Property: Small Business Set-Aside Program (25% goal)
- NJ Treasury: Business Certification Program (fee waiver)
- Business.NJ.gov: Government Contracting
- NJ DPP: Doing Business with the Division of Purchase and Property
- P.L. 2009, c. 315 (amending N.J.S.A. 52:32-44): BRC required before contract award
- NJ DPP: Commodity Code Search (NIGP codes used in NJSTART)
- NJ Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services: Fee Schedule ($100 formation, $75 annual report)
- UCEDC: Government Contracting Resources (county portals, APEX, Project Spectrum)
- NJSBDC: About Us (regional centers; nearly all services at no cost)
- SBA: 8(a), HUBZone, and minority-owned business programs
- SBA: Basic requirements for federal contracting (NAICS codes, SAM.gov)
Last checked: October 23, 2026 (facts checked against the sources above using AI tools; first checked July 20-21, 2026). Programs change; always confirm on the official page before relying on a number. How this site uses AI