How do I register as a vendor in Alabama?

Register on Alabama Buys (legacy system: STAARS Vendor Self Service) (https://alabamabuys.gov). Go to alabamabuys.gov and click New Supplier Registration.

How to Bid on Government Contracts in Alabama (2026 Guide)

Alabama buys through a central state purchasing office, and its cities, counties and school districts buy on their own as well. To sell to the state you register once as a vendor, then watch for solicitations in your commodity codes and respond by the deadline. This page covers the state registration steps, where bids are posted and the programs that help small businesses, with links to the official pages.

Central purchasing officeOffice of the Chief Procurement Officer, Alabama Department of Finance (Division of Procurement)

Vendor registrationAlabama Buys (legacy system: STAARS Vendor Self Service)

Where bids are postedPublic Solicitations in Alabama Buys (https://alabamabuys.gov), viewable without an account. Historical solicitations remain in STAARS VSS (https://procurement.staars.alabama.gov); the Comptroller keeps an RFP database (https://comptroller.alabama.gov/rfp-database/).

Open bids right now684 open Alabama bids (139 closing this week, 84 new in the last 7 days)

How to register as a Alabama vendor

Go to alabamabuys.gov and click New Supplier Registration.
Complete the initial form: registration type, organization type, legal name, DBA, 1099 classification, TIN, contact email (becomes your login), password and legal address; optionally pick Areas Served and Commodity Codes.
Log in, accept the Terms and Conditions, and open Company Profile.
Attach financial documents (W-9 first page, or W-8 for non-US; EFT banking support if you want direct deposit) and one identity document (letterhead letter showing legal name, TIN and 1099 address, or a signed IRS Form 8822-B).
Add a remit-to address and remittance contact, then add commodity codes under Qualifications so you are invited to solicitations.
Click Complete Full Registration and fix any errors shown on the Company Information tab until the dashboard shows Active Supplier Onboard Complete.

Registration gets you on the state's list, but it rarely sends you every relevant bid. Many agencies, and most local governments, post on their own portals. A free BidsNexus alert watches the state portal and Alabama's local agencies for you and emails the matches each morning.

Small business and certification programs

Office of Minority Business Enterprise (OMBE) M/WBE Certification, ADECA: For small for-profit businesses at least 51% owned and run by economically and socially disadvantaged individuals, in business two years with legal presence in Alabama; gives notice of state business opportunities and a directory listing.

Federal set-asides work differently from state programs; see our guide to small business set-asides.

Tips specific to Alabama

The state says signing up for commodity codes in your profile is what gets you invited to state solicitations; codes are optional at sign-up, so add them.
Profile attachments are capped at 6MB in total, so upload only the first page of the W-9.
New or changed EFT banking information has a 20-day security holding period.
Alabama Buys help desk: 334-353-0700 or alabamabuys@purchasing.alabama.gov; step-by-step supplier guides are at https://procurement.alabama.gov/supplier-training-materials.