Registrations & Certification Assistance
Federal: www.sam.gov - WARNING - registration is always free - you will never have to pay to get registered in SAM.
The first step in pursuing Federal government contracts, as either a Prime or Sub-contractor, is registering in the System for Award Management (SAM), the Federal government's vendor database. There is never a fee to register. NM APEX Accelerator strongly recommends that you come in and allow us to assist you with your first time registration, and your annual updates. During this process, we will also ensure that you have a clear and compelling Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) profile as more and more Federal buyers are using this system to do their market research in support of agency small business contracting goals. In order to register in SAM and create your DSBS profile, you will need to have at your NM APEX Accelerator counseling the following (please do not email any item, other than #6, in advance):
- Access to your email account so that we can complete SAM account confirmation step (or your user name and password if you already have an account).
- Have your Secretary of State (SOS) business listing and the exact way state SOS and United States Postal Service (USPS) has your company name and address listed. Use the New Mexico Secretary of State business listing search, Corporations Division (state.nm.us), and the USPS Zip Code Lookup address tool, ZIP Code™ Lookup | USPS to find your information.
- Your company's bank account number, routing number, and your bank's phone number.
- The company's Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN or EIN) and the precise way the IRS has your company name and address listed.
- NAICS code(s), the industry classification coding system that identifies what type of business your company is in: https://www.census.gov/naics/ (NM APEX Accelerator can help you with this if needed).
- For entry into the SBA's Dynamic Small Business Search engine, please prepare:
- a short "capabilities narrative" of 1000 characters or less that describes the business (using lots of key words); have available in electronic format (Send in advance for review, if at all possible).
- a list of key words and key phrases that describe your business (up to 25 items).
- The last three years' average gross sales (total revenue in dollars by individual year) and the current number of employees.
State of New Mexico
Although not required to be a vendor to the State of New Mexico, it is advisable that you register as a vendor so that you can receive relevant invitations to bid. NM APEX Accelerator can help you find your National Institute of Governmental Purchasing's Commodity/Services Code(s) (NIGP) and get signed up in the system.Other Agency or Entity Specific Registrations: NM APEX Accelerator can also help you navigate other local, municipal, tribal, or Prime contractor registration systems (e.g., Sandia National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory).State of New Mexico Preferences Certification - NOTE: do not miss this opportunity for Resident Owned businesses or Veteran Owned Businesses to gain a significant market advantage.
Federal Certifications:
At NM APEX Accelerator, we assist clients with small business certifications including, but may not be limited to:
- HUB Zone
- Self-Certification or 3rd Party Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) & Economically and Socially Disadvantaged Woman Owned Small Business (EDWOSB)
- Self-Certification as well as VA Verification of Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB)- Each NM APEX Accelerator Advisor has been certified by the VA as a Verification Counselor
- Socially and Economically Disadvantaged - 8(a) Certification
We follow five steps when approaching certifications:
Step 1: assess if your business is ready for any of the certification program.
Step 2: assess if you are eligible for any of the certification programs.
Step 3: prepare you for the application process.
Step 4: assist you with assembling and reviewing all paperwork / documentation prior to submission.
Step 5: guide you through the actual application whether it is online, or on paper.
