How do I register as a vendor in Kentucky?

Register on Kentucky Vendor Self Service (VSS), part of eMARS (https://vss.ky.gov/). Gather the legal name, tax ID (EIN or SSN), ordering and payment addresses, contacts, and the five-digit NIGP commodity codes that fit your business.

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

Kentucky 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 Procurement Services, Finance and Administration Cabinet

Vendor registrationKentucky Vendor Self Service (VSS), part of eMARS

Where bids are postedKentucky Vendor Self Service (https://vss.ky.gov/), which is used to post opportunities to bid; the eProcurement site (https://finance.ky.gov/eProcurement/Pages/default.aspx) also links NASPO ValuePoint and Kentucky Housing Corporation bid pages.

Open bids right now178 open Kentucky bids (24 closing this week, 27 new in the last 7 days)

How to register as a Kentucky vendor

Gather the legal name, tax ID (EIN or SSN), ordering and payment addresses, contacts, and the five-digit NIGP commodity codes that fit your business.
On the VSS login screen, click Register, accept the Registration Agreement, and search to confirm the business is not already registered (if found, activate the existing account).
Create a user ID and password, then confirm the verification email sent from Finance.CRCGroup@ky.gov.
Enter TIN type, business information and addresses, then add commodity codes and business types (such as Minority Business or Small Business).
Submit the registration and wait for the Customer Resource Center to verify it and send a confirmation email.
Watch email notices for your commodity codes and browse Solicitations in VSS to bid.

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 Kentucky's local agencies for you and emails the matches each morning.

Small business and certification programs

Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) Certification Program: Certifies Kentucky businesses owned by women and minorities and lets them compete in other states that require certification by a statewide body.
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Certification Program: For businesses owned by service-disabled veterans who live in Kentucky; aims to promote their growth and lets them compete in other states that require statewide certification.

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

Cities, counties and school districts

Political subdivisions, including cities of all classes, counties, and school districts, may use all state agency Master Agreements to the same extent as state agencies. The official pages checked do not name a shared local bidding portal.

Local bids are where most small businesses win their first contracts: smaller dollar values, shorter responses and less competition from national firms. BidsNexus collects them into one list, so you can browse every open Kentucky bid in one place.

Tips specific to Kentucky

If the business sold to the Commonwealth before, it may already be in VSS; activate the existing account rather than registering again.
Commodity code emails are a courtesy; the state still advises browsing Solicitations in VSS, since you can bid outside your registered codes.
The verification email link works only once; after that, log in from emars.ky.gov.
Help: Customer Resource Center, Finance.CRCGroup@ky.gov, 502-564-9641 or 877-973-4357.