Using MatchMarket as a vendor

Your profile is how buyers find and evaluate you. The fuller it is, the better the matching engine can connect you to the right work - and the more confident buyers feel reaching out.

1. 1

   Describe what you do

   A clear, plain-language description of your services is your capability statement. This is often the first thing a buyer reads.
2. 2

   Add your location and contact preferences

   Set your parish and choose how you prefer to be contacted. Your contact details stay private until you accept a connection.
3. 3

   Upload your logo

   A logo makes your card stand out in the directory.
4. 4

   List your certifications

   Add any certifications you hold. Verified certifications help you match to opportunities that prefer them. Local and regional certifications have their own group in the picker, so they are easy to find.
5. 5

   Add your insurance (COI)

   Fill in the Insurance section and link your Certificate of Insurance so buyers can see you are covered. See below for why this matters.

Categories (NAICS codes) tell the matching engine what kind of work you do. Many businesses operate in more than one category - you can add several.

1. 1

   Add every category that fits

   From your profile, add all the categories your business covers. The matcher uses your best-matching category for each opportunity, so adding more can only help you get found.
2. 2

   Mark a primary category

   Your primary category is shown as your headline industry on your directory card.
3. 3

   Optionally add a share of business

   You can note roughly what percentage of your business each category represents. This is informational for buyers - it does not change your match score.

Many buyers - especially government and City buyers - only hire insured vendors. The Insurance section on your profile lets you show you are covered.

1. 1

   Enter your policy details

   Add your carrier, policy number, coverage types and limit, and the effective and expiration dates.
2. 2

   Link your Certificate of Insurance

   Paste a link to your COI PDF - from Google Drive, Dropbox, or your insurer’s portal. No upload needed; a link is all it takes.
3. 3

   Earn the Insured badge

   A current COI link plus a valid expiration date shows buyers an "Insured" badge and lets them filter for insured vendors. Keep the expiration date current so the badge stays up.

When a buyer posts an opportunity in your industry, MatchMarket scores every qualified vendor and notifies the best fits - no digging through bid sites required. On top of that, your Opportunities page shows every published opportunity, so nothing is hidden from you.

1. 1

   Watch your notifications

   New matches show up under the bell icon. The ones matched to your business are listed first on the Opportunities page.
2. 2

   Search and filter to find work fast

   Search by what you do - like "cleaning service" - or filter by parish, tier, budget, and deadline. Flip on "Matched to me" to see only your matches, then choose "Save as default view" to keep those filters for next time.
3. 3

   Review the details

   Each opportunity shows what the buyer needs, the timeline, whether it is a fixed budget or open to bids, and any preferred certifications, tiers, or insurance requirement.
4. 4

   Your match score reflects fit

   Scoring considers your industry match, parish, tier, certifications, and profile completeness.

Found an opportunity you want? Here is the flow from interest to conversation:

1. 1

   Express interest

   Raise your hand on the opportunity and add a short note about why you are a good fit. You can edit or withdraw your interest later if things change.
2. 2

   Add your bid if it is open to bids

   When an opportunity is open to bids, you enter "Your bid" - what you would charge - along with your note. You can update your bid while your interest is still pending.
3. 3

   The buyer reviews interested vendors

   They see your profile and your note alongside your match score, and your bid if you gave one.
4. 4

   Connect to unlock contact details

   When a connection is accepted, any contact details you chose to share are unlocked for the buyer so you can talk directly.

Once you are connected, you have two ways to talk. Contact details you chose to share unlock on the accepted request, and you can also message buyers in-app - no need to leave the platform. Look for the Message button on a connection or in your Messages area, where every conversation is kept in one place.

You control who can reach you here. On your profile, the Who can message me setting lets in-app messages come from anyone, only your connections, or no one. It only affects in-app messages - sharing your contact details after a connection is a separate choice.

After you complete work for a buyer, they can confirm the project. Buyer-confirmed projects appear in your Project History - a verified track record that future buyers can see. Over time this becomes one of your strongest selling points.

Moving up the tiers gets you found more easily and earns buyer trust. Tier 2 unlocks matching; Tier 3 (Verified) puts you at the top of searches with a gold badge.

See the tier system explained for exactly what each step requires and how to apply for verification.

You do not have to do this alone. SUSLA and partner organizations - CoHab, local chambers, and others - offer free, one-on-one help to get procurement-ready. Find them on the Resources page in your dashboard.