Become a City Supplier

Make sure you have a current Business Registration Certificate from the San Francisco Treasurer and Tax Collector. If you don't, register here.

Fill out an IRS form W9 for your business.

Avoid frequent mistakes:

• Line 1 (Name): write your official business name EXACTLY as it is registered with the San Francisco Treasurer and Tax Collector.
• Line 2 (Business Name): write your fictitious business name, if applicable, EXACTLY as it is registered with the County Clerk.
• Part 1 (Taxpayer ID): fill in EITHER a Social Security Number or an Employer Identification Number, whichever is associated with the business, NOT BOTH.
• Sign and date digitally OR photograph/scan a printed and signed copy. You will need to upload it later.

Complete the online form to register as a Bidder. 

Tips:

• If you are a Legacy Business or otherwise are becoming a Supplier to receive a grant or provide goods or services to a City department, select "Selling Goods/Services" or "Both"
• “Requested User ID” is whatever you would like your user ID to be
• A DUNS is optional
• Don't use Internet Explorer

Within a few minutes, you should receive an email from SF City Partner with a Bidder ID number.

1. Enter your 7-digit Business Account Number here. You will find this on your Business Registration Certificate.
2. Click “Validate.” Your business name should come up.
3. Click “Continue”
4. Enter all the information, including the Bidder ID twice.
5. Click "Submit"

The Controller’s Office will send you a Supplier ID via email after they have reviewed your information. This will likely take a few days.

You are done here and do not need to complete Step 6. 

All other businesses must proceed to Step 6.

To comply, your business needs to provide the same benefits to all your employees. This is the same for employees in same-sex and different-sex domestic partnerships and marriages. You need to include this in your employee policies before the City will confirm that you comply. Read detailed information here.

The Contract Monitoring Division reviews materials closely and will work with you throughout the process. Every business is different and some may need to create new policies from scratch. Because of this, the process can take anywhere from one day to several weeks.

1. Prepare 2 documents to upload:
   1. Employee Memorandum (template)
   2. Number of employees. Examples of compliant documents include Form W-3, Form 941, or DE 9C form. Redact confidential employee information.
2. Login to SF City Partner
3. Click "Certifications" on the righthand side
4. Click "12B Declaration"
5. Complete form
   1. Click tab: "Add A New Value"
   2. On the search page, ensure the SetID field is set to "SHARE"
   3. If the Supplier ID or Bidder ID does not automatically appear when searching, enter the number
   4. Under Declaration Type, select Bidder or Supplier (if you already have a Supplier ID, select Supplier, otherwise select Bidder)
   5. Click "Add"
   6. Follow the prompts, including uploading your 2 documents
6. Click "Submit"
7. Save or print your Declaration Number for your records

Refer to this guide for more detail about this step.

For questions about this step, contact CMD.EqualBenefits@sfgov.org