Department of Administration, State Procurement Bureau
The State Procurement Bureau handles vendor questions and requests for proposals. There is no veteran business certifying office in Montana state government. Department of Administration, State Procurement Bureau →
No veteran certification
Montana state government operates no veteran-owned or service-disabled veteran-owned business certification program.
No socioeconomic preference at all
The Department of Administration states that Montana law does not grant preference to small or disadvantaged businesses, and no veteran preference exists.
Reciprocal preference is the only lever
Montana adds to a nonresident bidder’s price the percentage of preference that bidder’s home state gives its own residents, on contracts of 100,000 dollars or more.
Certification
Nothing to certify as, and the state says so
Montana’s vendor resources page addresses preferences directly and states that Montana law does not grant preference to small businesses or disadvantaged businesses, including women- or minority-owned companies. No veteran or service-disabled veteran category is created anywhere in the procurement scheme.
- For disadvantaged business enterprise information Montana directs vendors to the Montana Department of Transportation’s DBE program, which is federally driven and has no veteran category.
- Veterans’ preference in Montana law is an employment preference in hiring, administered separately, and does not touch contract awards.
Source: Montana Department of Administration, vendor resources and preferences
The preference
The reciprocal preference, and nothing else
Montana’s one preference is defensive. Under Title 18, chapter 1, part 1 of the Montana Code Annotated, a Montana resident bidder gets a preference against the bid of a nonresident bidder from any state or country that allows a preference for its own resident bidders, equal to the percentage that state grants.
- It applies to invitations for bids for goods, printing, construction, repair and public works, including non-construction services, with a total contract value of 100,000 dollars or more.
- Example from the state: if the low bidder comes from a state granting a 10 percent preference, 10 percent is added to that bidder’s price where doing so would benefit a Montana resident bidder.
- The reciprocal preference is applied against other states and countries, not against political subdivisions.
- Political subdivisions and local governments must apply it only to construction, repair and public works, not to goods and printing.
- Procurement officers apply it to goods, printing and non-construction services only where federal funds are not involved.
Source: Montana Department of Administration, reciprocal preference law
Finding opportunities
eMACS and the agency procurement contacts
With no status to claim, Montana work comes down to being registered in the state system, watching solicitations and building relationships with agency procurement contacts.
- Montana publishes agency procurement contacts, contracts awarded and eMACS resources through the Department of Administration.
- Vendors with questions on a request for proposals are told to call 406-444-2575.
- The Montana Small Business Development Center network maintains veteran entrepreneur resources, which help with capability and capital rather than with preference.
Source: Montana Department of Administration, vendor resources
What gets reported wrongly about Montana
- Montana is sometimes listed as having a disabled veteran business preference. It does not. The Department of Administration states that Montana law grants no preference to small or disadvantaged businesses at all.
- Montana’s veterans’ preference statutes and the Montana Military Service Employment Rights Act concern hiring and reemployment, not contracting. They are the usual source of the confusion.
- A service-disabled veteran firm bidding into Montana from another state should check Montana’s reciprocal preference exposure first: if your home state gives residents a preference, Montana will add that percentage to your price on contracts of 100,000 dollars or more.
- The Montana Department of Transportation DBE program is federal and does not include veterans, so service-disabled veteran status will not make you DBE-eligible in Montana.
Every figure on this page links to the source it came from. Verified October 24, 2026. Procurement rules change — check the source before you rely on a number.
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