The following resources may be of interest to vendors seeking to learn more about doing business with the State of Arkansas.

Arkansas Procurement Law

Arkansas Procurement Law controls how the State contracts for commodities and services.  A copy of the law can be viewed at Arkansas Procurement Law.

Vendor Registration for Bid Opportunity Notifications

When a solicitation for bids or proposals is made available for vendor review and bidding, Arkansas sends automated notice to all interested vendors registered in ARBuy, the State’s online procurement system.  When registering in ARBuy, a vendor can opt to receive an email alert about opportunities to submit bids and offer proposals for its specific commodity or service offerings. 

State departments also use the vendor registry to search for possible vendors for purchases that fall under the dollar threshold for formal bidding opportunities. If your company is a smaller, local business providing select goods and services to your hometown community, your registration in Arkansas’s vendor portal puts your business at the fingertips of the State’s buyers for purchases of any size or value. To register as a vendor for the State of Arkansas, visit the ARBuy Web Page on the TSS website. Here, you will find the link to Register for ARBuy as well as the ARBuy Vendor Registration Guide to assist you in the registration process.

Other Vendor Resources on ARBuy

The Supplier (Vendor) Resource page on the ARBuy website also provides other valuable information and guidance for businesses who wish to sell their goods or services to the State or who already hold a State contract. On this page, you can learn how to:

• Respond to a solicitation in the ARBuy system.
• Submit your W-9 to the State of Arkansas.
• Accept Purchase Orders from the State.
• Upload your Arkansas Marketplace catalog to the ARBuy system.
• Access the Sales Reporting template.
• Maintain your Supplier Profile in the ARBuy system.

This web page provides a phone number and email address for vendor questions about the ARBuy system.  To visit this ARBuy web page, go to ARBuy Supplier Resources.

Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprises

The Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise division of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) promotes the growth and sustainability of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises by providing them with real-world technical and professional assistance, including Certification in Arkansas. By becoming a Certified Minority and Women-Owned Business, your company gains additional visibility to Arkansas’s buyers by being included on the Certification Directory on AEDC’s website.  It also opens your company to more contracting opportunities with State purchasing.   For more information on becoming a Certified Minority or Women-Owned Business in Arkansas, visit AEDC’s  Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise web page.

Arkansas APEX Accelerator

The Arkansas APEX Accelerator is part of a nationwide network of  APEX Accelerators working to help businesses compete successfully in the government marketplace. It is part of the Community, Professional, and Economic Development Department of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and provides training and counseling services to businesses. The Arkansas APEX Accelerator can help your business better understand government purchasing and help you search for government contracts. To learn more about Arkansas APEX Accelerators and become an APEX client, visit the Arkansas APEX Accelerator web page.