Contracting Roadmap

Ensure your organization has at least completed the following steps:

1. Apply for an EIN/TIN with the IRS
2. Register with the NYS Department of State
3. Register with the NYS Charities Bureau (Nonprofits Only). For information on how to start a nonprofit, visit New York Council of Nonprofits Inc.

Foreign vendors must follow a different process. Contact the MOCS Service Desk to learn more.

Once you have established your organization, get started with these resources:

• Start a Business
• Step-by-Step List of Requirements For Your Business
• Operate and Grow
• Business Preparedness: Self-Assessment Tool and Digital Library

A Payee Information Portal (PIP) vendor account is needed to receive payments from the City of New York. In PIP, vendors can register for Electronic Funds Transfers/Direct Deposit, view financial transactions, and more.

Important: Create a PIP account first before setting up a PASSPort account. All contracting activities with the City of New York take place in one centralized procurement system: PASSPort, the City’s end-to-end digital procurement platform.

Create your PIP vendor account.

A NYC.ID is needed to request a vendor PASSPort account. PASSPort is the City of New York's end-to-end digital procurement platform.

See Create a PASSPort Account.

A NYC.ID is a single sign-on (SSO) system that allows users to access online services for multiple NYC agency systems using one set of login credentials, including PASSPort. Do not confuse NYC.ID with IDNYC.

If your organization does not have a PASSPort account, refer to Create a PASSPort Account to learn how to request an account for your organization. Once your account request has been approved by MOCS, you can log in to your new PASSPort account using your NYC.ID credentials and take various actions, including finding and responding to contracting opportunities.

Note: Be sure to designate the correct person to submit the account request. The requestor automatically becomes the Vendor Admin, with full administrative privileges, including the ability to update business information and add other users to the account. The Vendor Admin will also receive all PASSPort email notifications at the email address used during the account request submission. We recommend vendors to have more than one Vendor Admin to split the administrative work and ensure continuity.

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

An HHS Prequalification is required to be eligible to respond to Health and Human Service solicitations issued in PASSPort.

HHS Prequalification is also a component of the City Council Discretionary Funding Award Clearance.

For instructions, watch Completing the HHS PQL Application (42 minutes) and Video: Nonprofits Submitting Charities Filings in PASSPort (48 minutes). For additional details, see the Guide: Submit the HHS Prequalification (PQL) Application.

For City Agencies to be able to initiate any contracting action with a vendor in PASSPort, vendors must be Filed in PASSPort, meaning they completed their PASSPort Vendor Enrollment (AKA disclosures) in PASSPort.

Completing the enrollment package involves logging into PASSPort, completing questionnaires and disclosures relating to the organization, and submitting required documentation. For instructions, see this guide: Complete the PASSPort Vendor Enrollment.

The PASSPort Vendor status (in the Vendor Profile) will update to Filed upon completion of vendor enrollment in PASSPort. Once in Filed status, if your organization's disclosures are outdated, update your vendor profile – here’s how: Submit a Change Request.