How do I become a vendor with the City of Boston?
Becoming a vendor with the City of Boston means you can sell your goods and services to the city and get paid for them. The main way to do this is by signing up on the City's Supplier Portal. This online system helps businesses work with the city more easily.
Here are the steps to become a vendor:
- Open your internet browser and go to https://procurement.boston.gov.
- Click on the 'Vendor Registration Form' link. This link is usually near the bottom left of the screen.
- First, you need to create a user account. You will fill out the 'Create a Vendor User Account' form.
- Fill in all the required parts, which are marked with a star.
- Leave the Vendor ID field empty because you don't have one yet.
- If the person signing up can sign contracts for your company, check the 'Signature Authority' box. This gives them special permissions.
- Choose a User ID that is at least 7 characters long. User IDs are case sensitive, meaning uppercase and lowercase letters matter.
- Choose a password hint question and answer it. This helps if you forget your password.
- Click 'Submit'. You should get an email with your User ID and a temporary password.
- Log into the Supplier Portal using your new User ID and password.
- Now you will create your vendor profile. Click on 'Add/Update your Vendor Profile' and then 'Add New Vendor'.
- Fill out the Vendor eForm. Make sure to fill in all the required fields. You can choose if you are an individual person or a business.
- Review the W-9 Certification information and acknowledge it.
- Confirm that you or your organization are allowed to do business with the City of Boston.
- Review the summary page to make sure everything is correct and then click 'Submit'.
Your vendor eForm will be sent to the City of Boston's auditing department for approval. It might take 2 to 3 business days for your account to be approved. Once approved, you will get your vendor ID number by email.
A vendor account lets you sign contracts and get payments from the City of Boston. You can also respond to requests for bids and other work opportunities. If you only need to look at bidding opportunities right away, you can register as a bidder instead.
If you have questions, you can contact Vendor Support:
- Phone: 617-961-1058
- Email: vendor.questions@boston.gov
- Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am - 5 pm. Some sources say 8:30 am - 5:30 pm EST.
The Supplier Portal is closed for updates every Thursday from 5 pm - 6 pm EST.
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