Registering your company with the Secretary of State and getting an EIN only establishes the business for formation and tax purposes — it does not make you a government vendor. To access contracts you also need vendor registrations with the government itself:
A registered legal entity, such as an LLC or S-Corp.
Federal registration through SAM.gov, which issues your identifiers (UEI number and CAGE code), plus the connected validations with the IRS and your state.
A small business profile in DSBS, the database contracting officers search.
SLED registrations with each state, county, city, town, school district, or university you want to sell to — each typically runs its own portal.
You will also need a capability statement and compliant digital infrastructure to be genuinely bid-ready.
Two practical notes: virtual offices and PO boxes are not accepted as your business address — a real physical address such as your home works fine. And if you make a mistake on a registration, no one from the government calls to tell you, which is why sensitive filings are worth delegating or double-checking. Every registration can be done yourself with step-by-step guidance, done with the team on a live call, or done for you.