Contract with the City of New York | MOCS

Mayor's Office of Contract Services


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Contracting Roadmap
Franchises & Concessions
PIP
Doing Business Accountability (DBA)
Electronic Funds Transfer

Contracting Roadmap

Franchises & Concessions

PIP

Doing Business Accountability (DBA)

Electronic Funds Transfer


Getting Started: Contract with the City of New York

Learn the basics through the Contracting Roadmap.

For an in-depth overview on contracts with NYC, take a look at detailed information below.

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The Role of PASSPort in NYC Contracting

All contracting activities with the City of New York take place in one centralized procurement system: PASSPort, the City's digital Procurement and Sourcing Solutions Portal.

Developed and maintained by the Mayor's Office of Contract Services (MOCS), PASSPort is a seamless end-to-end procurement system facilitating every step of the procurement process between City agencies, oversight agencies, and vendors.

The Citywide Indicators Report details how the City spends its money.

Get Ready to Do Business

Complete these basic steps to do business with the City of New York.

A. Establish Your Organization

Complete the following actions:

Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Register your organization with the New York State Department of State.

Nonprofits only: Register with the New York State Charities Bureau.

For information on how to start a nonprofit, visit New York Council of Nonprofits Inc.

Foreign vendors must follow a different process. For details, contact the MOCS Service Desk.

Once you have established your organization, check out these resources:

Start a Business

Step-by-Step List of Requirements

Operate and Grow

Business Preparedness: Self-Assessment Tool and Digital Library

B. Create a PIP Account

A Payee Information Portal (PIP) vendor account is required to receive payments from the City of New York. In PIP, vendors can:

Register for Electronic Funds Transfers/Direct Deposit

View payments

View financial transactions

Vendors should create a PIP account prior to setting up a PASSPort account.

Visit the PIP website for new vendor guidance and assistance.

C. Register a NYC.ID

A NYC.ID is a secure sign-in that provides access to online services at multiple NYC government agency websites, including PASSPort. Do not confuse NYC.ID with IDNYC.

To register a NYC.ID, see Create a PASSPort Account or watch this tutorial video (4 minutes).

D. Create a PASSPort Account

Creating a PASSPort vendor account allows you to:

Complete required vendor disclosures to do business with the City

Search for and respond to contracting opportunities

Sign a contract upon contract award

Submit invoices

View performance evaluations

And more!

If your organization does not have a PASSPort account, you can Create a PASSPort Account for your organization. Use the same email address when registering your NYC.ID to submit a PASSPort account request.

Watch this tutorial video (4 minutes).

Once you receive an email from MOCS indicating approval of your account, you can log in to PASSPort using your NYC.ID credentials to access your organization's PASSPort account.

Before requesting a PASSPort account, please be aware that the vendor contact submitting the account request on behalf of the organization automatically becomes a Vendor Admin with full PASSPort account administration privileges, including updating business information and adding additional system users to the account. The Vendor Admin receives all PASSPort email notifications at the email address that was used when submitting the PASSPort account request.

E. Complete the Health and Human Services (HHS) Prequalification Application in PASSPort

Organizations providing Health and Human Services must complete a Health and Human Service Prequalification Application (HHS PQL Application) in PASSPort.

An approved HHS Prequalification is required to be eligible to respond to HHS solicitations (RFx) in PASSPort.

For instructions, watch Completing the HHS PQL Application (42 minutes). For additional details, see Guide: HHS Accelerator Prequalification.

HHS Prequalification is also a component of City Council Discretionary Funding Award Clearance. See also Video: Nonprofits Submitting Charities Filings in PASSPort (48 minutes).

F. Complete the PASSPort Vendor Enrollment

For City Agencies to be able to initiate any contracting action with a vendor in PASSPort, vendors need to complete their enrollment package in PASSPort.

Completing the enrollment package involves logging into PASSPort, completing questionnaires and disclosures relating to the organization, and submitting documentation, including:

Business information

Vendor questionnaires

Principal questionnaires

Parent/controlling entities identifications (if applicable)

Certificate of Incorporation (or equivalent)

An authorized representative's signature

The Vendor Profile status will update to Filed status upon successful completion of vendor enrollment in PASSPort, and PASSPort will send an email confirmation.

For instructions, watch Video: Completing the Vendor Enrollment Package (1 hour 3 minutes) or see Guide: Completing the PASSPort Vendor Enrollment.

Your organization's Filed status is valid for 3 years and if your organization is awarded a contract, you will be prompted to re-validate your disclosures in PASSPort. Once in Filed status, should your organization's disclosures need to be updated, see Guide: Submit a Change Request.

G. Nonprofits only: Apply for City Council Discretionary Funding

Each year, the New York City Council awards discretionary funds to nonprofit organizations to meet local needs.

Nonprofit organizations that wish to receive discretionary funding must submit a City Council Discretionary Funding Application. The Application is made available every year on the City Council's website, starting in early January and is typically available for a six-week period. Discretionary Award Process provides an overview of the process and additional resources.

To learn more about award clearance, watch Video: Award Clearance for NYC Council Discretionary Funding (22 minutes) or see Guide: Understanding New York City Council Discretionary Funding.

H. Nonprofits only: Complete Capacity Building Training

While the Capacity Building Training has been designed for nonprofit organizations receiving discretionary funding, it is a great resource for all types of organizations in NYC! We encourage all NYC vendors to benefit and complete the free of charge Capacity Building Training.

Nonprofit awardees that receive $750,000 or more in cumulative discretionary funding per fiscal year are exempt from completing City Council's Capacity Building Training.

Nonprofit awardees are required to complete City Council's Capacity Building Training and obtain certification if they receive less than $750,000 in cumulative discretionary funding per fiscal year.

For details, visit Capacity Building Training.

I. Get Certified with the City

Certifying with the City increases access to contracting opportunities. The City is committed to awarding $25 billion in City contracts to M/WBEs by the end of Fiscal Year 2025.

More than 11,000 businesses currently benefit from New York City Certification. New York City's business certification programs include:

The Minority/Women-Owned Enterprise (M/WBE) Program

The Emerging Business Enterprise (EBE) Program

The Locally-based Business Enterprise (LBE) Program

Learn more at NYC Business

Take advantage, Get Certified!

Show the City Who You Are

A. Enroll in Commodities

Enrolling in commodities (commodity codes) in PASSPort is a way for your organization to show the City of New York what goods and/or services it can provide.

City agencies can use a vendor's disclosed commodity codes when procuring goods and services – so enroll only in commodities reflect your organization's current capacity to deliver. Commodities enrollment can be updated in your PASSPort vendor profile at any time.

Show the City what your organization can do – enroll in commodities! For instructions, watch Video: Enroll in Commodities in PASSPort (42 minutes) and see the NYC Commodity Classification Directory.

Attention NYC Certified Businesses Vendors: In addition to your commodity code enrollment in PASSPort, keep your NYC Online Directory of Certified Businesses vendor profile current by reaching out to SBS.

B. Disclose NYC Business Certifications

Once certified with the City, vendors may self-disclose approved business certifications (Minority/Women-Owned Enterprise, Emerging Business Enterprise, or Locally-based Business Enterprise) in PASSPort to make them visible to City agencies.

For instructions, see page 34 of Guide: Vendor Account Management.

C. Have an Approved HHS PQL Application

The Health and Human Service (HHS) Prequalification (PQL) Application is collects information to verify an organization's ability to establish or maintain a business relationship with the City. An approved HHS PQL Application is required to be able to eligible to respond to HHS solicitations (RFx) in PASSPort. For more information and instructions, see section E in Get Ready To Do Business.

Find Contracting Opportunities

To find contract opportunities:

Browse opportunities in PASSPort: Once logged into PASSPort, click the RFx tab to browse opportunities. RFx can be filtered by City agency, industry, status, and more. See Find Contract Opportunities.

In PASSPort, RFx is a catch-all term representing the range of solicitations (Request for...). Common RFx released in PASSPort are:

Requests for Information (RFI)

Requests for Proposals (RFP)

Competitive Sealed Bids (CSB)

Only RFx in Released status are open for response submissions.

A PASSPort account is required to see the details of and respond to RFx.

Apply to Prequalified Lists in PASSPort: New York City procurement policy encourages agencies to develop prequalified lists (PQL) for various categories of goods, services, construction, and construction-related services. Vendors may submit a request through the PASSPort portal any time a PQL is open. MOCS will approve or deny a PQL request within 90 days from the date of submission of a properly completed application. For information on a PQL and how to apply, please connect with the funding agency.

Check regularly if a City agency invited your organization to respond to an RFx: From the PASSPort homepage, click RFx in the top navigation menu and select Browse My RFx Responses. Your organization should have received an email notification upon invitation.

Don't have a PASSPort account yet? No PASSPort account is required to search for solicitations on the Procurement Navigator. Read Guide: Procurement Navigator or watch Video: Procurement Navigator (8 minutes) to learn more. To respond to a solicitation, vendors will need a PASSPort account.

Check out the data transparency portal PASSPort Public. PASSPort Public features a variety of data visualization and information-seeking functionalities, including data on contracts, vendors and solicitations!

Read the Weekly Digest, our weekly PASSPort email notification announcing the latest RFx releases across all industry fields. System users with one of the following user roles receive the Weekly Digest: Vendor Admin, Vendor Procurement L1, or Vendor Procurement L2. You can view your roles in your organization's PASSPort Vendor Profile > Contacts. For instructions, watch Video: Assign User Roles in PASSPort (34 minutes) or see Add Users and Assign Roles.

Sign up to receive The City Record Online (CROL) email notifications. City business opportunities valued at or above $100,000 are published in The City Record Online. Vendors can sign up to receive CROL email notifications to learn about new solicitations in their fields of interest.

For business planning purposes, view upcoming City agency procurement plans:

Under Local Law 1, City agencies are required to publish anticipated contracting actions forming the basis for agencies' M/WBE utilization plans. M/WBEs can identify potential contracting opportunities in the coming fiscal year.

Under Local Law 63, agencies publish anticipated standard and professional services contracting actions for the upcoming fiscal year. Contractors can identify opportunities to grow their business with the City of New York.

Check City agencies' websites for postings on current and upcoming opportunities.

For more detailed guidance, watch Finding Contracting Opportunities (25 minutes).

(En Espanol: Video: Grabación del Seminario Web: Encontrar Oportunidades de Contratación, 53 minutos)

Respond to Contract Opportunities

Responses to contract opportunities released in PASSPort must be submitted in PASSPort.

Only RFx (Request for...) in Released status are open for response submissions. To verify a successful response submission, the Response Submission status should read Submitted.

To learn more:

Watch Video: Responding to Contracting Opportunities (1 hour 3 minutes).
(En Espanol: Video: Responder a Oportunidades de Contratación, 1 hora 3 minutos)

See Respond to Contract Opportunities.

Attention Health and Human Services Providers: An approved HHS Prequalification in PASSPort is required to respond to Health and Human Services solicitations (RFx) in PASSPort. For instructions, see the Guide: HHS Prequalification and watch Completing the HHS PQL Application (42 minutes). See also Video: Nonprofits Submitting Charities Filings in PASSPort (48 minutes).

Complete Award Tasks

For Nonprofits Receiving a City Council Discretionary Award

If your organization has been awarded City Council Discretionary funding – congratulations!

The contract registration process for City Council Discretionary Awards is managed in PASSPort. PASSPort will send your organization's Vendor Admins a task notification email when it is time to start the contract document submission process.

Exception: Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) awards are not processed through PASSPort; DCLA will contact their cleared awardees.

After the City Council makes an award designation, the Mayor's Office of Contract Services confirms the procedural requirements to clear an award for registration by the contracting City agency.

For instructions, visit the Discretionary Award Tracker and watch the Video: Award Clearance for NYC Discretionary Funding (22 minutes). See Guide: Understanding New York City Council Discretionary Funding.

We recommend reviewing the Award Milestones Tracker listed in the Overview tab of your pending contract in PASSPort. It allows both vendors and City agencies to view the status of a contract as it progresses from Award Creation to Contract Registration.

For Vendors Receiving a Contract Award

If your organization has been awarded a contract with the City of New York – congratulations!

Before you can begin your work and submit invoices, your contract must be registered.

For instructions, see Manage My Contract Overview and watch Video: Completing Contract Award Tasks (57 minutes). (En Espanol: Video: Completar Tareas de Adjudicación de Contratos, 57 minutos).

We recommend reviewing the Award Milestones Tracker listed in the Overview tab of your pending contract in PASSPort. It allows both vendors and City agencies to view the status of a contract as it progresses from Award Creation to Contract Registration.

Start Your Work and Get Paid

Once your contract is registered, you can start your work and begin invoicing.

For contracts managed in PASSPort, invoicing takes place in PASSPort.

For Health and Human Services contracts, PASSPort does not yet manage financials for all contracts. The funding City agency decides whether invoicing occurs in PASSPort. Contact your agency contract manager to determine whether your contract's financials will be managed in PASSPort.

Visit PASSPort Financials for learning resources, including guides, live webinar training options, and FAQ.

Requirements Contract has vendor invoicing guides to assist with your Requirements Contract.

To get paid and/or get reimbursed for goods delivered and services provided, a vendor must have a PIP vendor account. Direct deposit and other payment arrangements are set up and updated in PIP. See Guides listed on the PIP website.

Need Help or Have a Question?

Topic
Contact

PIP Account
Contact the PIP Help Desk.

For assistance with PASSPort
Contact the MOCS Service Desk.

Solicitations or PASSPort RFx Questions
Email the soliciting City agency at the email address listed in the RFx in PASSPort, or contact the soliciting City agency using the Discussion Forum in the RFx in PASSPort.

General Contract Questions
Contact your City Agency contract manager.

Learning to use PASSPort
Visit Learning to Use PASSPort.

Nonprofit Assistance regarding to NYC Council Discretionary Funding
Contact the MOCS Service Desk.

Business Certifications, including M/WBE, EBE, and LBE
Contact the NYC Business.

Business Tax and ECB Violation Questions as they relate to Contracting with the City
Contact the Department of Finance.