How to register and find bids on Cal eProcure

Cal eProcure is California's state procurement portal. Bid opportunities are posted in the California State Contracts Register (CSCR), which anyone can search without an account. Registration is free and lets you receive bid notices by email, matched to the product and service codes you pick. Some state purchases do not have to be posted, and local governments run their own procurements.

What Cal eProcure covers

Cal eProcure is for state entities. The CSCR list on October 31 carried solicitations from state departments such as Transportation, CAL FIRE, Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Highway Patrol, from the Judicial Branch and from California State University campuses. Cal eProcure replaced BidSync as the state's bid portal, and BidSync still handles solicitations outside California. The same site hosts the application for small business and disabled veteran business enterprise (DVBE) certification, a search of certified firms and a search of statewide contracts.

Caltrans splits its work. Its Contractors Corner advertises and awards major construction contracts. Service contracts and contracts under the Minor B threshold go through its Division of Procurement and Contracts, and Minor B contracts are advertised on Cal eProcure and awarded by that division. Caltrans re-sets the Minor B limit every two years, so confirm the current figure with Caltrans. The October 31 CSCR list also showed Caltrans highway construction projects next to Minor B bids and service contracts, so a construction bidder who wants Caltrans work should watch both Cal eProcure and Contractors Corner.

Cities, counties, special districts, school districts and University of California campuses are on DGS's list of reciprocity partners, and each partner conducts its own procurements, separate from the state. UC campuses list their bids on the CalUsource Public Bid Site.

Purchases that do not have to be posted

Certain acquisition methods are not required to be advertised on Cal eProcure. These purchases do not have to be posted:

• Emergency purchases, which can be made immediately.
• Purchases of goods or services up to $20,000, where the buyer needs only one quote that is fair and reasonable.
• The small business and DVBE option, for goods or services from $5,000.01 to $249,999.99, where the buyer asks either certified small businesses or certified DVBEs for quotes. Public works have a higher limit, and DGS's March 2026 publication and April 2026 brochure give different figures for it, so confirm the current one with DGS.
• Purchases from existing statewide contracts, California Multiple Award Schedules and other leveraged procurement agreements, which skip a new bid. CMAS purchases avoid advertising on Cal eProcure.

In the small business and DVBE band, the buyer picks from certified firms. Certified firms are added to a DGS database that state agencies and other public agencies use to find certified businesses, so certification is how you get quotes requested in that band.

What you need before you start

• A tax ID. The first form screen asks you to choose the type (a federal employer identification number, a Social Security number or a tax identification number) and to enter the number without dashes.
• Your company name, entered on the same screen.
• UNSPSC codes for what you sell. These are United Nations product and service codes, and bid notices are based on them.
• The right path. New Bidder Registration is for a business that wants bid notices, and Existing Supplier Registration is for a business that already has a vendor record with state departments in FI$Cal.

Register

• Go to caleprocure.ca.gov, select Sell to the State, then select Register Now. You can also use Login/Register.
• Choose New Bidder Registration unless you already have a vendor record with state departments.
• On the first screen, pick your tax ID type, enter the number with no dashes and enter your company name.
• Finish the remaining screens. The live form has six steps.
• If you get a duplicate TIN error, contact FI$Cal Portal Support at 1-855-421-6355 or vendors@fiscal.ca.gov.
• Choose your UNSPSC codes so bid notices match what you sell. The state's training page has a video on receiving bid notifications.

Where to start

Register first. Notices go only to registered bidders, and certification applications open after you register. Then run a Historical search on your keywords before you settle on UNSPSC codes, so the codes match the departments that have bought your kind of work. If you qualify as a small business or DVBE, start the certification application early. The small business and DVBE option is limited to certified firms, and DGS accepts a request for an expedited application when an applicant has a bidding opportunity.

Search for bids

You do not need to log in to search. Select Start Search on the home page, or Find Bid Opportunities on the Sell to the State page.

The basic search takes an event name, event ID, department and event status. Status is Posted for open bids or Historical for past ones. Advanced criteria add a published year, a start date, UNSPSC codes, service areas and contractor license type, and the page offers saved searches. Each result shows the event ID, event name, department, end date and time, and status, and results can be downloaded.

In our data, the median California bid gave 27.6 days from posting to due date (2,847 bids due August to November 2026), per our analysis.

To find a partner on a bid, log in, open the bid and select Post Vendor Ad. Start the ad with your certification number so prime contractors can see your certification profile.

Get notified

Registered bidders can subscribe to bid notices based on UNSPSC codes. Review the codes whenever your offer changes, because a code you leave out is a notice you may not get.

Email notices are complimentary, the state does not guarantee you will receive them, and bidders are expected to check the website for upcoming bids. Run your Posted search once a week.

Small business and DVBE certification

After you register, you can apply for small business, small business for public works or DVBE certification. State agencies must award at least 25% of their annual contracting dollars to certified small businesses, and the state may give them a 5% bid preference. Certification does not guarantee a contract. Eligibility requirements may have changed since the April 2026 brochure was published, so confirm current rules on the DGS certification page before you apply.

Local buyers usually run their own procurement, so many of their bids are not here. Bid Monitoring checks thousands of local sources once a week and sends the matches, though no service covers every buyer.

Sources

• Cal eProcure home page
• Sell to the State
• Cal eProcure login page
• Bidder Registration, step 1
• Cal eProcure FAQ
• CSCR event search
• Training and Resources
• How to Do Business with California Government, DGS brochure PD3B (April 2026)
• Acquisition Methods, DGS PD3F (March 2026)
• List of SB/DVBE Reciprocity Partners, Department of General Services
• Contractors Corner, Caltrans
• Procurement and Contracts (DPAC), Caltrans
• Overview of the Caltrans Minor Program
• Construction Manual, Chapter 3, Section 2: Bidding, Caltrans
• Using the Public Bid Site, UC CalUsource