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The Guide newsletter provides quick information and resources on how to do business with The Department of General Services (DGS) as well as other featured news, opportunities, and highlights.
Questions or ideas for The Guide can be sent to DGSNewsletter@dgs.ca.gov.
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The California Department of General Services serves the public by providing a variety of services to state agencies through procurement and acquisition solutions; real estate management and design; environmentally friendly transportation; professional printing, design and web services; administrative hearings; building standards; oversight of structural safety, fire/life safety and accessibility for the design and construction of K-12 public schools and community colleges; funding for school construction; and disability access. |
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 Join us in celebrating National Veterans Small Business Week taking place Oct. 31 - Nov. 4. DGS' Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services supports California small, diverse and disabled veteran-owned businesses in pursuing contract opportunities with the state through outreach, certification, advocacy and education.
There are over 1,650 Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBEs) currently certified with the state of California. Preliminary reports show that for the fiscal year ending June 2022, the state awarded over $625 million, or approximately 4.8% of all state contract dollars, to DVBEs. We want to see more DVBEs taking advantage of the benefits of state certification. Some of these benefits include:
- Listing of their DVBE certification profile in the state's searchable database, displaying the DVBE's line of business and areas of service to state buyers, prime contractors, other private or government entities, and the public who access the database.
- Eligibility to be part of the state’s goal to spend 3% of all contract dollars with DVBEs.
- DVBEs with dual certification as a Small Business (SB) are also eligible to be part of the state's goal to spend 25% of contract dollars with SBs and can enjoy the benefits available through the Prompt Payment Act.
- Up to a 5% incentive for DVBEs on applicable state solicitations.
- Access to exclusive contract opportunities available to certified businesses through the SB/DVBE Option procurement process, which allows state agencies to contract directly with a certified business for contracts valued from $5,000 to $249,999, and up to $388,000 for public works contracts.
- Prime contractors get the benefit of certification when they subcontract with a certified SB/DVBE.
- Ability to leverage certification with other certification reciprocity partners. DGS’ Reciprocity Program with local governments, municipalities, transit districts, school districts, and utility companies allows you to be recognized as a Small Business or DVBE without having to re-certify with each entity. We currently have more than 40 reciprocity partners listed on DGS’ website. Our list continues to grow, and we hope to get more partners.
- One of our most noteworthy reciprocity partnerships – established in 2020 – is with the University of California system. Under this agreement, 10 UC campuses and the UC Office of the President accept the state’s certifications. This partnership added $5 billion annually to the opportunities available for SBs and DVBEs, furthering our objectives of supporting California’s small businesses.
- Access to the SB/DVBE Emergency Registry – a dedicated, searchable database where certified SBs and DVBEs self-register to show the state that they are ready and able to deploy goods or services around the clock during an emergency. The registry allows departments to quickly identify certified SBs and DVBEs that are ready and able to provide emergency goods and services. Buyers can use certification type, county, city, emergency category or keywords as search terms to locate potential suppliers.
Where do you start? Cal eProcure is the first step. It’s a one-stop entry point, an online portal for registration, certification and accessing state contracting opportunities at no cost to you.
Thank you to all our veterans and their families for their service, sacrifice and dedication.
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DGS has three separate and distinct procurement/contracting responsibilities: |
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The DGS Office of Business and Acquisition Services is the procurement and contracting shop for DGS offices and divisions, as well as six client agencies. It is responsible for processing procurements through solicitation, award and execution.
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The DGS Procurement Division is the oversight and control entity responsible for setting statewide policy and delegates purchasing authority to California state agencies and departments for goods and services, including IT goods and services. The division offers purchasing services and training, certifies small businesses and issues large-scale procurement agreements for goods and services from which state departments and agencies purchase, including the DGS Office of Business and Acquisition Services.
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The DGS Office of Legal Services reviews and approves non-IT services contracts on behalf of DGS pursuant to statute. It also maintains the State Contracting Manual Volume 1. The DGS Procurement Division maintains the State Contracting Manual Volume 2. These manuals provide policies, procedures and guidelines to promote sound business decisions in state contracting.
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Find current bid opportunities on the California State Contracts Register (CSCR). To search for DGS-specific opportunities, enter 7760 in the “Department” field.
Please note that the majority of California state purchases are facilitated by the individual state departments making the purchase, not DGS. A filtered list of each state department and what goods and services they are looking to purchase can be found on CaleProcure.ca.gov.
Statewide Leveraged Procurement Agreement Opportunities
Leveraged Procurement Agreements (LPAs) allow departments to buy directly from suppliers through existing contracts and agreements. LPAs are available to California's state, county, city, special district, education, and other government entities. Here are some of the current invitations for bids being solicited for statewide contracts:
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Apply for Small Business/Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Certifications
Vendors/contractors interested in doing business with DGS should consider becoming a certified Small Business (SB) or Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE), as the Office of Business and Acquisition Services follows a strict SB/DVBE First policy.
For guidance or support, reach out to the Office of Business and Acquisition Services SB/DVBE Advocate: OBASAdvocate@dgs.ca.gov.
For information on how to get certified, reach out to the Office of Small and Disabled Veteran Services (OSDS) at OSDSHelp@dgs.ca.gov.
Upcoming Procurement and Contracting Workshops and Webinars
The DGS Procurement Division offers and promotes a wide range of trainings and webinars to support businesses with the state contracting process. A full list of upcoming events can be found on the Procurement Division's Events Page.
Featured Webinar
Government Contracts: Steady Income for Your Business
Attend this FREE webinar on Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. to learn about government contracts, which can be a great source of steady revenue for small businesses. Officials from local and state agencies will present information on how to locate public solicitations, certification requirements, the bidding process, and how contracts are awarded.
Learn about:
- Finding and responding to public solicitations
- Understanding government contracts
- State and local contracts vs. federal contracts and the different requirements for each
- Business development and government contracting opportunities and resources in L.A. city and county
Participants are encouraged to join by video as the class may involve sharing visual information and writings, participation via the chat function, and the opportunity to interact with others. Virtual networking reception to follow the course.
Presented by: Officials from the L.A. City Department of General Services, LA County Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services and the California Department of General Services
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DGS' Office of Sustainability Clean Energy Unit supports fellow state departments interested in onsite renewable energy generation through site license agreements and power purchase agreements. This service includes site and energy assessments to determine viability and recommendations for the appropriate size and location of a facility's potential solar or wind energy project. This service also includes project development and management and Request for Proposal (RFP) development. The Clean Energy Unit manages each project from conception, system design, and construction until the system is fully operational.
Contracts for these projects run for 20-25 years, and all energy produced by the system is consumed onsite by the state facility. The system produces energy at a discount to the utility prices and offsets the utility load as well as project costs over the system's life expectancy.
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The DGS Real Estate Services Division shares current solicitation opportunities for vendors. Solicitations and bid opportunities include construction, materials testing and inspection services, and architectural and engineering solicitations.
Featured Request for Qualifications
Architectural Retainers
DGS' Real Estate Services Division, Project Management and Development Branch, is looking for professional architectural services as required for retained services to be used on an as-needed basis.
Interested firms may view the full Request for Qualifications on CaleProcure.
Hard copy submittal deadline is on Nov. 17 by 5:00 p.m.
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Sugar Pine Village Affordable Housing Development in South Lake Tahoe
On Monday, Oct. 23, DGS and several partners celebrated the first phase of the Sugar Pine Village affordable housing project in South Lake Tahoe. Sugar Pine Village will ultimately provide the community of South Lake Tahoe with 248 mixed-use affordable housing units. This is the second major project to break ground under Governor Newsom's Executive Order N-06-19, which ordered DGS and the Department of Housing and Community Development to identify and prioritize excess state-owned property and aggressively pursue sustainable, innovative, cost-effective housing projects. This project was approved by the city of South Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency in record time.
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Want to learn more about opportunities for affordable housing projects on excess state-owned properties?
View the inventory list and locations of excess state-owned properties that are deemed potentially suitable for housing through DGS' fully interactive map.
Currently, there are five state-owned sites identified for housing that are seeking qualified developers.
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Last week the State Allocation Board announced that it had awarded $1 billion for school construction projects throughout the state. These awards are a result of the voters’ approval of Proposition 51 in November 2016, which provided an additional $7 billion to the School Facility Program as well as state General Fund proceeds. Of the $1 billion:
- $802.6 million was allocated to the School Facility Program's new construction and modernization projects for 265 projects within 111 school districts statewide
- $142.8 million to new construction and rehabilitation projects under the Charter School Facilities Program for 13 projects within nine applicants statewide
- $59.4 million for new construction and retrofit projects for the California Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten and Full-Day Kindergarten Facilities Grant Program for 18 projects within 18 school districts statewide
Check out the full press release.
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DGS facilitates and participates in many public meetings and events to conduct state business, including the featured list below. Please note that meeting dates are subject to change. Visit our DGS website for the most up-to-date information and a listing of all DGS public meetings and events.
State Allocation Board Meeting
Responsible for determining the allocation of state resources used for the construction, modernization and maintenance of local public school facilities.
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 4 p.m.
Meeting details will be posted in advance of the meeting and can be found on the Office of Public School Construction website.
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