Doing Business with Fairfax County
A guide to becoming a vendor to Fairfax County
Are you interested in providing a service or selling your product to Fairfax County and/or one of the localities? We have resources to help you.
Get Certified
The Virginia Small Business Supplier Diversity certifies certain businesses to participate in Virginia’s specialized procurement and contracting opportunities. These opportunities are available for:
- Small, Woman-owned, and Minority-owned Businesses (SWaM*)
- Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE*)
- Employment Services Organizations (ESO*)
- Service Disabled Veteran-owned businesses (SDV*).
* see definitions of these terms
The Division also provides specialized management and technical assistance to DBE firms participating in projects funded by the US Department of Transportation and other federal sectors.
The Commonwealth of Virginia has a mandatory requirement that 42% of their spending occurs with SWaM certified businesses. The localities have spending targets, but no mandatory requirements. However, the localities value inclusion and creating opportunities for all businesses, and we are intentional with outreach and engagement.
Certified businesses are registered in the SWaM directory.
Attend a Workshop
Fairfax County’s Department of Procurement and Material Management hosts monthly vendor workshops to assist the vendor community.
The Selling to Fairfax Workshops are designed for prospective vendors and those interested in learning about the Fairfax County procurement process. Topics include an overview of county procurement, how the process works, finding your right fit, how to forecast and conduct background research using resources on DPMM’s website, etc.
Forums cover procurement topics of interest and allow for an open-house style discussion. These sessions offer the vendor community a regular opportunity to engage with procurement staff from across the organization and have any question answered.
Sessions are an hour long with plenty of time for questions and discussion. Currently, all workshops and forums are hosted virtually.
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Find Opportunities
Discover what governments buy, and make sure that you are connected to learn about potential opportunities.
Information about potential opportunities can be found in several places. Some entities, like Virginia APEX provide bid matching and partnering support.
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Join the Vendor Pitch Portal
After you attend a DPMM workshop, submit information about your products and services to Fairfax County’s Vendor Pitch Portal
Information about your product(s) and/or service(s) will be circulated to County purchasing entities. If an agency or entity is interested in doing business with you, they will reach out to you directly.
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Consider Partnering with the Fairfax County Park Authority
The FCPA supports entrepreneurship in many ways. Whether you are looking share your expertise and passion through teaching a short class to the community, you’d like to use FCPA property for your business, including taking photos, or you are looking for pop up and market opportunities for your products, FCPA is a great partner.
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- Find opportunities to teach Parktakes classes through the DPMM contracting information and learn more at the Selling to Fairfax workshops.
- Interested in using FCPA property for your business, or to host your events and classes? Get a Park Use Permit.
- Become a Vendor at an FCPA Farmer’s Market
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Explore Options with Fairfax County Public Schools
All potential vendors are invited to register with eVA, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s electronic procurement portal, which will automatically forward notifications of solicitation publications. You may also register and view active solicitations on the FCPS electronic e-bidding portal, Bonfire.
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- The list of upcoming FCPS Procurement Opportunities is also published monthly.
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- Interested in teaching your specialty via a Fairfax County Adult and Community Education class? Email: [email protected].
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- Attend the workshop Selling to FCPS.
Selling to the Towns and Cities
Each locality has resources and information for prospective vendors.
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