Find official Mid-Atlantic small-business programs.

Pennsylvania DGS support for micro, small, small diverse, veteran, and midsize businesses working through Commonwealth contracting.

Designed for

Businesses preparing to register, certify, find opportunities, or understand Commonwealth procurement.

What it provides

Official registration, certification, opportunity, and supplier-support guidance.

Important limits

The office supports participation but does not confer an award or replace the requirements in a solicitation.

Classifications

advisory assistance

Official source owner

Pennsylvania Department of General Services

Assistance and participation do not guarantee eligibility, certification, or a contract award.

Commonwealth certification pathways for eligible micro, small, small diverse, veteran, and midsize businesses.

Designed for

Businesses that meet the applicable ownership, employee, revenue, and documentation requirements.

What it provides

Small-business self-certification and verification pathways for designated diverse or veteran-owned businesses.

Important limits

Supplier registration comes first. Small Diverse and Veteran verification requires an accepted third-party certificate; certification is not an award.

Classifications

certification

Official source owner

Pennsylvania Department of General Services

Certification categories, thresholds, evidence, and renewal requirements may change.

A Commonwealth cooperative purchasing program connecting eligible public organizations with state-managed contracts.

Designed for

Eligible Pennsylvania local public procurement units and suppliers seeking COSTARS contract opportunities.

What it provides

Access to cooperative contracts for members and a separate competitive contract path for suppliers.

Important limits

Member eligibility and supplier participation are separate. Supplier registration does not place a business on a COSTARS contract.

Classifications

contract vehicle

Official source owner

Pennsylvania Department of General Services

A supplier must win an applicable contract before it can sell through that COSTARS vehicle.

The Commonwealth supplier-registration and account-management system.

Designed for

Businesses registering as Commonwealth suppliers or maintaining vendor, payment, and account information.

What it provides

Supplier registration, a vendor number, account maintenance, and access needed for certain bid-response steps.

Important limits

Registration is not certification, prequalification, placement on a contract, or an award.

Classifications

registration

Official source owner

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Follow each solicitation to determine which response system and credentials are required.

The public Commonwealth source for solicitations, awards, contracts, emergency procurements, sole-source notices, and upcoming procurements.

Designed for

Businesses researching Pennsylvania contracting opportunities and award information.

What it provides

Public opportunity and procurement-record discovery.

Important limits

A notice may direct the supplier to the PA Supplier Portal, JAGGAER, or another process for the actual response.

Classifications

portal

Official source owner

Pennsylvania Department of General Services

Finding a notice is not registration, prequalification, or an award.

The Commonwealth supplier-management and response system used for certain RFP, ITQ, and RFQ activity.

Designed for

Registered suppliers responding to applicable non-construction materials and services opportunities.

What it provides

Registration and electronic response functions for identified JAGGAER events.

Important limits

JAGGAER registration is distinct from the PA Supplier Portal vendor number and from ITQ prequalification.

Classifications

portal

Official source owner

Pennsylvania Department of General Services

Use the system named in the solicitation; other opportunity types use different Commonwealth systems.

A prequalification route for certain Pennsylvania multiple-award contracts.

Designed for

Suppliers that have a Commonwealth vendor number and want to qualify for an applicable ITQ contract.

What it provides

A process to submit qualifications for specific ITQ service or material categories.

Important limits

Most ITQs use JAGGAER. Approval may take 30–90 days, and qualification is not an award of work.

Classifications

contract vehicle

Official source owner

Pennsylvania Department of General Services

Prequalification only permits competition under the applicable vehicle; it does not promise an RFQ or award.

A DCED-funded workforce program that helps qualified employers train eligible new and existing employees.

Designed for

Qualified Pennsylvania employers and eligible permanent full-time Pennsylvania employees.

What it provides

Training reimbursement funding for eligible job-skills training.

Important limits

Employer, employee, wage, industry, timing, and participation rules apply and are reviewed by program year.

Classifications

reimbursement

Official source owner

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development

Funding is limited, subject to current guidelines, and not guaranteed by an application.

A statewide small-business credit initiative delivered through regional and local program administrators.

Designed for

Pennsylvania small businesses seeking expansion or job-creation financing through participating administrators.

What it provides

Loan and equity-investment programs delivered through designated partners.

Important limits

Terms and availability vary by administrator; the program is not a general direct grant to every applicant.

Classifications

loan, equity investment

Official source owner

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development

A participating administrator determines product availability, underwriting, terms, and eligibility.

Low-interest financing administered with certified economic development organizations for eligible Pennsylvania projects.

Designed for

Eligible businesses and projects working through a certified economic development organization.

What it provides

Loan financing for eligible land, building, machinery, equipment, working-capital, and related project costs.

Important limits

Applications are packaged and underwritten through partner organizations; underwriting, collateral, match, and project rules apply.

Classifications

loan

Official source owner

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development

Program review and financing approval are not guaranteed.

A Commonwealth Financing Authority program that guarantees part of eligible bank loans to qualifying second-stage businesses.

Designed for

Eligible Pennsylvania life-sciences, advanced-technology, or manufacturing businesses generally operating for two to seven years.

What it provides

A guarantee supporting an enrolled lender’s qualifying loan, primarily for working capital and eligible asset financing.

Important limits

The guarantee supports the lender rather than paying the business directly; the bank must enroll and approve the loan.

Classifications

guarantee

Official source owner

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development

This is a loan guarantee, not a grant or a direct entitlement payment.

Grants, loans, or loan guarantees for eligible competitive projects that increase investment and create or preserve jobs in Pennsylvania.

Designed for

Eligible businesses and public or economic-development entities supporting qualifying competitive projects.

What it provides

Potential grants, loans, or loan guarantees for eligible project costs.

Important limits

Substantial economic impact, private match, and job commitments are required; assistance is competitive.

Classifications

grant, loan, guarantee

Official source owner

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development

The program can use multiple financing forms; it is not necessarily a grant.

New Jersey’s eProcurement portal for State bids, documents, amendments, contracts, and vendor information.

Designed for

Businesses researching or responding to New Jersey Division of Purchase and Property opportunities.

What it provides

Bid discovery, vendor enrollment and profiles, electronic quote functions, contract search, and vendor information.

Important limits

NJSTART enrollment is separate from business registration, SBE/MBE/WBE certification, and public-works requirements.

Classifications

portal

Official source owner

New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Purchase and Property

A vendor profile or registration does not show that a vendor holds a contract.

New Jersey’s Small Business Enterprise pathway for eligible businesses participating in selected set-aside opportunities.

Designed for

Businesses that meet New Jersey’s current SBE ownership, size, revenue, and registration requirements.

What it provides

Certification for participation in applicable State small-business set-aside contracting.

Important limits

Certification and NJSTART registration are separate; certification does not guarantee a bid opportunity or award.

Classifications

certification

Official source owner

State of New Jersey

Confirm the current certification category and solicitation-specific requirements before bidding.

Fixed-rate NJEDA financing for eligible New Jersey small businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Designed for

Creditworthy New Jersey small businesses and nonprofits meeting operating-history, revenue, coverage, and collateral requirements.

What it provides

Loans for eligible fixed assets or working capital.

Important limits

Credit review, fees, tax clearance, fixed-asset support, and other criteria apply; home-based businesses are ineligible.

Classifications

loan

Official source owner

New Jersey Economic Development Authority

This is debt financing, not a grant; approval and terms depend on underwriting.

A three-year NJEDA pilot expanding direct and participating-lender financing for eligible New Jersey businesses.

Designed for

Eligible New Jersey for-profit and nonprofit businesses with qualifying operations, collateral, coverage, and job commitments.

What it provides

Direct loans, loan participations, and line-of-credit guarantees for eligible real estate, equipment, or working capital.

Important limits

Product minimums, operating history, collateral, tax clearance, underwriting, job commitments, and other requirements apply.

Classifications

loan, guarantee

Official source owner

New Jersey Economic Development Authority

NJ LEND is financing and guarantee support, not grant funding.

Maryland financing support for small businesses, with a focus on economically and socially disadvantaged entrepreneurs.

Designed for

Maryland small businesses seeking financing that may not be available on reasonable terms through normal channels.

What it provides

Potential working-capital, equipment, real-estate, contract-financing, surety, loan, guarantee, or investment support.

Important limits

Products, underwriting, documentation, ownership focus, use restrictions, and availability vary.

Classifications

loan, equity investment, guarantee

Official source owner

Maryland Department of Commerce

The authority offers multiple financing forms; assistance is not automatically a grant or direct award.

A loan-reserve program encouraging participating lenders to finance eligible Maryland small businesses.

Designed for

Eligible Maryland small businesses, including nonprofits, applying through a participating lender.

What it provides

Loan-loss reserve support to a participating lender for an enrolled qualifying loan.

Important limits

Current funding availability is conditional and unconfirmed. Lenders are advised to register should funding become available; borrower funds are not assured. The lender underwrites the loan, and lender participation, borrower size, loan limits, terms, and excluded uses apply.

Classifications

guarantee

Official source owner

Maryland Department of Commerce

Reserve support protects participating lenders; it is not a direct grant to the borrower.

Matching training grants and support services aimed at improving the competitiveness of Maryland employers and workers.

Designed for

Eligible Maryland employers, with emphasis on small and mid-sized manufacturing and technology companies.

What it provides

Reimbursement of a share of qualified worker-training project costs.

Important limits

Employer standing, employee count, industry priority, minimum project size, eligible costs, match, and annual funding limits apply.

Classifications

reimbursement

Official source owner

Maryland Department of Commerce

Funding is a matching reimbursement subject to approval and current availability, not guaranteed payment.