Certification Information

Get certified as a Small Contractor and Supplier (SCS) and increase the competitiveness of your firm as a contractor, consultant or supplier for King County contracts.

SCS Fast Track Certification begins October 1, 2021!

As part of King County’s Pro-Equity Contracting efforts, Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) and Woman Business Enterprises (WBE) certified by the Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises are now automatically eligible for SCS Certification. MBE and WBE firms will be able to simply opt-in to SCS certification bypassing the SCS application process and eliminating duplicative efforts.

Please email scscertification@kingcounty.gov with any questions.

ATTENTION APPLICANTS:

A goal is to enable electronic processing of applications, which results in faster processing times and fewer errors. Submit your application using DCMS and any correspondence regarding your application via email. With limited exceptions, paper and fax submissions are no longer accepted. Email submissions will not be accepted. Only informal communication regarding your application can be done by email.

Program Overview

To create opportunities for King County and its contractors to make use of certified Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) firms on county contracts and increase the competitiveness of these firms as:

Prime Contractors and Subcontractors;
Consultants; and
Suppliers

The program applies to county contracts for:

Goods & Services;
Consulting Services; and
Construction

Benefits

Improves the effectiveness of certified SCS businesses to compete for King County contracts as contractors, consultants, and suppliers.

Goods & Services. Incentive: Fair Market Range to rank SCS for evaluation purposes;
Consulting. Incentive: Award of Points for the use of SCS firms;
Construction: Participation requirements for SCS firms

Eligibility Criteria

For-Profit Small Business
Licensed to do business in Washington State
Meets the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) size standards for small businesses, and does not exceed an overall business size limit of $26.29 million in gross receipts over a three-year average.
Personal net worth of majority owner(s) less than $1.32M (excluding primary residence and equity in the business)
Registered as a Supplier with King County through the E-Procurement Supplier Portal

All SCS firms are strongly encouraged to attend one of King County’s free vendor orientations online to learn about how to do business with King County. For a schedule of upcoming sessions and to register please visit the Training & Events page on the Procurement and Payables website.

Business Hours

Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Certify Your Business

Standard Application Process

Small businesses who are interested in SCS certification can apply or recertify online. Go to: https://kingcounty.diversitycompliance.com/

In the online platform, you can complete an application and upload the required financial documents. There are two methods for providing financial information:

CPA Affidavit - you may use your licensed CPA to document each owners' net worth and the business size. CPA Affidavit forms can be downloaded from the Diversity Compliance Management System. (Average review period 10 business days.)

OR
You can provide a personal net worth statement for the majority owner(s) and the past three years of your company's Federal Income Tax Returns, including all schedules. Personal Net Worth forms can be downloaded from the Diversity Compliance Management System. (Average review period 15-30 business days.)

If you require an alternative submission method for your SCS application, please send an email to: scscertification@kingcounty.gov

Fast-Track Application Process

Small businesses who are state certified by the Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE) with one of the certifications listed below automatically qualify for SCS certification and are not required to complete an SCS application.

OMWBE Certifications Eligible for Fast-Track SCS Certification:

Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) – owned by minorities
Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) – owned by women
Minority Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) – owned by minority women
Combination Business Enterprise (CBE) – owned by women and minorities
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (SEDBE)– owned by non-minority men who are found to be socially and economically disadvantaged on a case-by-case basis

To opt-in to SCS certification:

Send an email to scscertification@kingcounty.gov requesting fast-track SCS certification.
In your email, state your average gross receipts over the most recent three-year period.

Right to Privacy

King County, as a government entity, conducts public business and records related to the business of King County are generally available for public review. King County is committed, to the extent allowable by law, to protect and secure personal information contained in King County records. This privacy commitment must be balanced with the rights of public access under chapter 42.56 RCW, Washington Public Records Act, consistent with chapter 2.14 of the King County Code and any other applicable federal, state, and local statute or regulation.

You may read the King County Privacy Policy here.

Contact Us

opportunity@kingcounty.gov