General Services

Reference:Purchasing Code, Chapter 2.56 Article 4. Procurement Opportunities Program

Does the County of Sacramento have a local business program?

Yes, the County has a Procurement Opportunities Program (POP) to provide outreach and information to any business that wishes to do business with the County, including local business enterprises.

What is the definition of a local business program?

The local business must meet all of the following criteria:

1. maintain its Principal Place of Business within the geographic boundaries of the County of Sacramento;
2. provide 50 percent or more of the contracted product from its own local inventory;
3. possess a current County of Sacramento business license;
4. be established and conducting business activities in the County for at least six months preceding the due date of the bid/proposal; and
5. paid sales tax to either a city located within the County or to the County of Sacramento

Does the County of Sacramento have a small business program?

Yes, the County has a Procurement Opportunities Program (POP) to provide outreach and information to any business that wishes to do business with the County, including small business enterprises (SBE) and micro-business enterprises (MBE).

What are the key elements of the POP?

1. To spend 25% of our total contracting dollars with small business enterprises,
2. To allow up to a seven percent price preference on material and supply contracts of less than $100,000,000 issued through the Department of General Services, Contract and Purchasing Services Division and those departments utilizing the Department Purchase Order (DPO) program to certified small businesses that are local and/or have micro-business designation,
3. One-third of invitations to bid will be to SBEs and MBEs, when available,
4. To form collaborative partnerships with business and community groups to provide outreach and contracting information, and
5. To accept certification from the State of California, Office of Small Business Certification and Resource or other reciprocal agency (formal), or, for tracking purposes only, self-declaration (informal).

What is the County’s definition of a small business?

The business must be:

1. Independently owned and operated,
2. Not dominant in its field of operation,
3. Located in the Sacramento Regional Market Area (Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties), and
4. Together with its affiliates, it is either:
   • A service, construction or non-manufacturing firm with 100 or fewer employees and average annual gross receipts of fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) or less over the three previous years, or
   • A manufacturing firm with 100 or fewer employees.

What is the County’s definition of a micro-business?

The business must be:

1. Certified by the State of California Small “micro business” designation,
2. Independently owned and operated;,
3. Not dominant in its field,
4. Located in the Sacramento Regional Market Area, and
5. Together with its affiliates, it is either:
• A service, construction or non-manufacturing firm with 25 or fewer employees and average annual gross receipts of five million dollars ($5,000,000) over the three previous years, or
• A manufacturing firm with 25 or fewer employees.

Does the program provide preferences to SBEs/MBEs?

The County will offer a price or point preference to certified micro business enterprises that are located in the Sacramento Regional Market Area. At this time, preferences will only be applicable on material, supply and non-professional contracts of less than $1,000,000 issued through the Department of General Services, Contract and Purchasing Services Division and those departments utilizing the DPO program. Preferences will not be applicable for construction contracts, professional and other service contracts, or architectural and engineering professional service contracts.

Are self-declared small business enterprises eligible for POP program preferences?

No. Self-declaration is only used to track dollars spent with small businesses. When you self-declare your business, we will encourage you formally certify with the State of California in order to receive maximum program benefits.

Why should I get certified?

Only certified micro-businesses can participate in the preference portion of the County’s program. Certified small business enterprises, although not able to receive a preference in our program, are included in the State’s Small Business Vendor Database and may receive invitations to bid from many other state and local agencies that use the State’s database.

How do I get certified?

The County’s primary certification agency is the State of California, Office of Small Business Certification and Resource. We will also accept certifications from any other state agency that has reciprocity with the State, such as the City of Sacramento. For certification information, online registration or to request a certification packet, you can go to the State’s web site at www.dgs.ca.gov. If you do not wish to formally certify but you would like to be counted as a small business, you may self-declare with the County’s Department of General Services that your business meets the County’s definition of a small business. You may be required to show proof that you meet the County’s definition of a small business.

How do I find out more information about the County’s Procurement Opportunities Program?

Call our ​Administrative staff at (916) 876-6360, or contact Alison Santiago​, Procurement Opportunities Program Administrator at (916) 876-6259, or by email, santiagoal@saccounty.gov​.