Small contractors and trades based in Gwinnett County have a new way to get noticed by county purchasing. The county now lets businesses self-certify as a "Local Small Business" in its supplier portal, a step it says will help it stay connected with local firms and learn more about them (via Gwinnett County).
The option is part of the county's Procurement Readiness and Opportunity Plan, or PRO Plan, which the county describes as an effort to expand access, visibility, education and resources for local small businesses.
Who qualifies
To self-certify, a business has to meet all of these:
- Independently owned and operated
- 100 or fewer employees, or $10 million or less in annual gross receipts
- A physical office in Gwinnett County or one of its cities
- A current occupational tax certificate from the county or the city where the office sits
Note the "or" in the size test. A firm with more than 100 people can still qualify if its receipts are $10 million or less, and a firm over $10 million can qualify with 100 or fewer employees.
Signing up is simple. New suppliers pick the Local Small Business option when they register and answer a short questionnaire. Businesses already in the system add the designation by updating their profile. The county moved its supplier system to an Oracle-based portal in September 2025, and registering is what puts a business on the bidder list for the commodity codes it selects.
How we got here
Gwinnett commissioners voted 5-0 on May 5 to adopt the county's definition of a local small business for the PRO Plan, according to the official meeting minutes. The county timed it to Small Business Week. "Defining 'local small business' allows us to be more strategic in how we expand access to County contracting opportunities," Board Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson said at the time. "This is about aligning our procurement practices with our values."
The county has also commissioned its first disparity study, by Griffin & Strong, to look at its procurement data for barriers, as AccessWDUN reported. The county hasn't tied the PRO Plan to that study's findings.
What it does and doesn't do
Be clear on what the designation buys you. The county's small business resources page says registering or identifying as a Local Small Business doesn't guarantee you'll be notified of every solicitation, doesn't guarantee eligibility for every opportunity and doesn't guarantee a contract. The county doesn't describe any set-asides, goals or price preferences tied to it. For now, it's about visibility and outreach.
The county's Access and Opportunity Office ran supplier portal sessions at the Gwinnett Entrepreneur Center in Lawrenceville on Nov. 5 and Nov. 10. The center's calendar also lists a free session on business readiness for government contracting on Nov. 20, offered in person and online.
Why it matters for Contractors
If you're a Gwinnett-based shop chasing public work, this takes about ten minutes and costs nothing, so there's little reason to skip it. The real value is getting your firm in front of the people who build bid lists and plan outreach as the county works out how to use the PRO Plan.
Don't stop at the checkbox, though. Make sure your profile lists the right commodity codes for every trade you do, keep your occupational tax certificate current, and watch the county's solicitations page yourself. As of this week it listed construction-related work such as a Fire Station 18 roof replacement, an annual fence contract and new pickleball courts at E.E. Robinson Park, plus informal written quotes, the county's small-quote route that suits smaller trades. Bid openings are held virtually. Dates change, so confirm them on the county site before you plan around them.