Vendor Tips

Vendors wishing to register to receive purchase orders, get public bidding invitations, or become a HUB Certified vendor for the state of North Carolina should complete the registration process through the NC electronic Vendor Portal (eVP). This registration allows companies to receive purchase orders from Entities using the NC eProcurement System.

A guide to registering for eVP can also be found on the vendor training page.

Vendors may select multiple services during the eVP registration process. Registration begins on the eVP home page. Vendors must accept the Terms of Use for each service before they become fully registered in the system.

The services are:

1. NC eProcurement - Vendors who choose this registration have indicated they would like to receive purchase orders from State Entities, Local Education Authorities (K-12 Schools Systems), Community Colleges, and participating Local Governments.
2. Interactive Purchasing System (IPS) - Vendors can register to receive e-mail notifications of procurement and construction opportunities based on designated commodity/construction codes. Vendors will be able to designate contacts to receive these notifications, as well as Commodity and Construction Codes to indicate the type of procurement opportunities for which they would like to be notified. Vendors can still navigate directly to the IPS website to search for and view available bids.
3. HUB Certification - Vendors must request certification through the electronic Vendor Portal if they wish to be certified as a Historically Underutilized Business. Certification as a HUB vendor provides greater exposure for business opportunities in state procurement and contracting. Vendors must request certification through eVP if they wish to be certified as a HUB with the State of North Carolina. To request HUB certification, a vendor must also register for IPS. More information on HUB certification can be found on the Historically Underutilized Businesses page.

To be granted access to Interscope, a vendor should select "Interactive Purchasing System" on the "Registration Type" page and finish registration, ending with acceptance of the Terms of Use. After waiting one business day for their information to be imported, they may request a login for the Interscope system.

Vendors may also select the "NC eProcurement" registration as required by the buying entities that they work with.

If a vendor is unsure whether their eVP registration is completed correctly, they should contact the Help Desk for support.

In order to receive purchase orders (POs) and payments in a timely manner, it is important to keep your eVP registration information current. Be sure to regularly update account contacts, Order To and Remit To addresses, and phone numbers. You can access your account online at https://vendor.ncgov.com.

The Terms of Use can be accessed here:

NC eProcurement Terms of Use

A Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) means that fifty-one percent of the business is owned by, and the day-to-day management and daily business operations are controlled by, someone who is one of the following:

• Black
• Hispanic
• Asian-American
• American Indian 
• Female
• Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Person
• Disabled

Certification as a HUB vendor provides greater exposure for business opportunities in state procurement and contracting. The names of HUB firms are listed in the Vendor Link and electronic Vendor Portal which are both widely used by state agencies, universities, community colleges, local schools, local governments, and institutions.

There is no fee to register for eVP; however, there is a 1.75% transaction fee on applicable purchase orders issued through NC eProcurement for the sale of goods or materials. There is no transaction fee on the sale of services.

To find out more about NC eProcurement, Interactive Purchasing System (IPS), and Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB), visit the eVP help site here or contact the NC eProcurement Helpdesk at 888-211-7440, option 2, or vendor@nc.gov. 

As a condition of eligibility to receive payment from State agencies, each NC eProcurement vendor is required to submit a Substitute W-9 Form to the agency with which it is doing business.  By completing this form, Vendors are ensuring that the state will be able to pay the Vendor through their financial systems.

Vendors are urged to review instructions for submitting this form that are available by clicking here.

To see a list of buying entities, visit the Entities Using NC eProcurement page.