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Hawaii Bid Preferences: Status and What to Do

Where
Hawaii State Procurement Office, For Vendors (HIePRO and Hawaii Compliance Express)
Status
Active. Hawaii does not run its own MBE/WBE certification. State bids apply Hawaii products, in-state printing and other preferences, and awards of $2,500 or more need proof of compliance, which Hawaii Compliance Express issues.
Contact
808-586-0554
Last checked
2026-10-10

See 25 open bids in Hawaii →

What it is

Hawaii does not run its own MBE or WBE certification. The State Procurement Office (SPO) oversees purchasing under the Hawaii Public Procurement Code (HRS chapter 103D). Instead of ownership-based certifications, the code gives bid evaluation preferences for Hawaii products, in-state printing, software development, community rehabilitation programs and taxpayers. The code also tells the procurement policy board to adopt rules for small business set-asides, but the SPO pages we reached do not describe an active set-aside program.

Who qualifies

  • Hawaii products: offerors certify in their offer that their products qualify. The procurement officer decides, and qualified offerors are added to the Hawaii Products List kept by SPO.
  • Printing, binding and stationery: bids where all work, including storage and shipping, is done in Hawaii.
  • Community rehabilitation programs: nonprofits or public agencies running programs that meet Department of Labor and Industrial Relations criteria.
  • Small business (HRS 103D-901): "independently owned" and defined by policy board rules that may use SBA-style factors such as employee counts.
  • Out-of-state firms can bid. The chief procurement officer "may impose" a reciprocal preference against bidders from states that penalize Hawaii bidders.

What it means for your bids

  • Hawaii products: for comparison only, Class I products get a 10% price reduction and Class II get 15%. You are paid your bid price. This covers agricultural goods, value-added products and commodities, not public works construction.
  • Printing, binding and stationery: all-Hawaii work gets a 15% evaluation preference. For mixed bids, the out-of-state portion is raised 15%.
  • Services from qualified community rehabilitation programs get a 5% preference.
  • Taxpayer preference: for evaluation, a tax-exempt price is raised by the general excise and use tax. The contract is still for the price offered.
  • Hawaii law requires proof of compliance to receive a state or county contract of $2,500 or more. Hawaii Compliance Express (HCE) issues that proof online as a Certificate of Compliance.

How to get certified

Hawaii has no state ownership-based certification. To bid:

  1. Register as a vendor in HIePRO, linked from SPO: https://spo.hawaii.gov/for-vendors/. The pages we reached do not list a fee.
  2. Get an HCE certificate at https://vendors.ehawaii.gov/hce/splash/welcome.html. It replaces separate Department of Taxation, IRS, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and DCCA clearances. HCE charges $12 per year.
  3. If you sell Hawaii products, claim the preference and certify your products in your offer. Once qualified, you are added to the Hawaii Products List.
  4. Read each solicitation for the preferences it allows.

Watch out for

  • Federal DBE certification is separate and applies to transportation work.
  • SPO's homepage links to a Hawaii Small Business Office site. We could not open it, so we cannot describe its services.
  • The newest entry on SPO's Hawaii products page is dated May 19, 2023. Ask SPO if your product is missing.
  • County purchasing rules, including Honolulu's, are separate. Check each one.
  • We found no 2025 or 2026 change to these preferences. The latest change to the Hawaii products section was in 2022.
  • Questions: SPO at 808-586-0554.

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Common questions

Is the Hawaii procurement preferences (Hawaii products, printing, taxpayer, reciprocity) under HRS 103D still active?

Hawaii does not run its own MBE/WBE certification. State bids apply Hawaii products, in-state printing and other preferences, and awards of $2,500 or more need proof of compliance, which Hawaii Compliance Express issues.

Where do I check my certification status?

Hawaii State Procurement Office, For Vendors (HIePRO and Hawaii Compliance Express): https://spo.hawaii.gov/for-vendors/

Sources

FindMyBids isn't affiliated with any certifying agency, and this isn't legal advice. Status can change quickly with court orders and new laws, so confirm with the program office before you rely on it.

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