Doing Business with the State of Colorado

ACCESSColorado
Supplier Resources, Training & Outreach
 
Procurement in Colorado is decentralized, which means that most State agencies are delegated to conduct their own solicitations. Businesses wanting to sell goods or services to State government must promote themselves to individual State agencies and actively search for opportunities on ColoradoVSS and other solicitation websites.  The State Purchasing & Contracts Office has developed ACCESSColorado as a resource to help guide active and prospective suppliers through the procurement process.  
 

THREE STEPS

There are three steps to doing business with the State of Colorado that suppliers should follow in order to be successful: Research, Register, and Access. Suppliers who are interested should start with the How To Do Business With the State webinar/presentation and the ACCESSColorado Guide below.
 
STEP 1 | RESEARCH
Procurement in Colorado is decentralized, meaning many state agencies are delegated to do their own solicitations. This means suppliers who are interested in doing business with the State should conduct research in order to determine which agencies may have a need for your goods or services, and to create a more effective strategy. Below are some suggested resources for research.
 
  • How To Do Business With the State | Recorded webinar and PDF presentation to help suppliers understand Colorado State procurement.
  • ACCESSColorado Guide | A printable PDF with information on the Three Steps, purchasing terminologies, and additional resources. (Coming soon)
  • Colorado.gov | A list of all state agencies. Their individual websites contain a lot of information on their programs, goals, and missions. 
  • State Price Agreements | These are contracts for commonly used goods and services which can be used by all state agencies, institutions of higher education, local governments, and certified nonprofits. 
  • Previous Awards | Understanding what goods and services agencies have purchased in the past can provide insight into what they might need in the future. 
  • The Governor's Office of State Planning & Budgeting | Identify potential opportunities by reviewing agency plans and budgets.
 
STEP 2 | REGISTER
Suppliers should be aware of where solicitations are being posted, and should also consider registering with these sites.
  • ColoradoVSS | This is where most State agencies are posting their solicitations. Registration is not required but is suggested. It's free, and registration allows you to sign up for commodity code-based alerts on upcoming solicitations.
    • Technical support, during registration and while using ColoradoVSS, is available from our Help Desk at vsshelp@state.co.us or 303.866.6464. 
  • Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Business Center | CDOT is the one State agency that maintains its own system for solicitation, rather than using ColoradoVSS.
  • Solicitations | The SPCO solicitations page contains links to other sites where solicitations are posted.

 

STEP 3 | ACCESS
By this step, suppliers should be ready to access and use the wide variety of resources available on the SPCO website, access information and contacts by attending supplier events, and access and respond to solicitations. 
  • Supplier Events | The SPCO posts registration information for events across the State. The majority of these events aren't hosted by SPCO however, so suppliers should follow the links to the event pages for any specific questions.
  • Supplier Email List | Sign up to receive notification of upcoming supplier-focused events and training opportunities.
  • State of Colorado Procurement Officials | Contact information for Procurement Officials of State agencies, Institutions of Higher Education, and community colleges. 

 

 
For more information contact
Barb Musick
Supplier Diversity Liaison
(303) 866-3640