In brief
Vendors register for free on the Port of Long Beach’s PlanetBids portal (portal 19236); the Port advertises opportunities expected to exceed $100,000 there and notifies firms whose NIGP codes match. Work under $100,000 follows what the Port calls “a simplified process”, and the Harbor Development Permit is a separate approval for development in the Harbor District, not a step in vendor registration.
- Registration: a free PlanetBids account needs a company name, an FEI/EIN or SSN and an email address, then NIGP categories for what you sell23.
- The line: “If the anticipated value of the work will exceed $100,000, the opportunity will be advertised on PlanetBids, unless otherwise noted”1.
- Subcontractors: on construction scopes, anyone expected to be paid “the greater of $10,000 or more than 0.5% of the bid price” must be identified in the bid and registered in PlanetBids1.
- No guarantee: registration does not guarantee a contract, and the Port’s FAQ says small business certification is not required to do business with it2.
- Permit: the Port Permits Desk handles the Harbor Development Permit, at (562) 283-71026.
The Port of Long Beach is its own buyer. It runs its own vendor portal, its own dollar lines and its own permit for work in the Harbor District, and none of those are the City’s. A firm registered on Long Beach Buys has not registered with the Port, and the reverse is also true. This page covers the Port side of the route described in Selling to the City of Long Beach and the Port: where the Port posts, the registration steps, the $100,000 line, who else has to register, and the Harbor Development Permit. Everything below is as of October 2026.
The short answer
| If you are… | Do this |
|---|---|
| A supplier or consultant who wants Port bid notices | Create a free PlanetBids account on the Port’s portal and add NIGP categories23 |
| Looking at work expected to cost less than $100,000 | Watch for the Port’s “simplified process”; the Port collects interested vendors through a Small Purchase Opportunities notification form1 |
| A subcontractor on a Port construction job | Register in PlanetBids if you are expected to be paid the greater of $10,000 or more than 0.5% of the bid price1 |
| A small business wondering about certification | It is free and optional; see LBSBE, Port SBE and DBE28 |
| Planning construction or demolition inside the Harbor District | The Harbor Development Permit is a separate application through the Port Permits Desk6 |
Step 1. Know where the Port posts
Port Partners, at portpartners.polb.com, launched on September 8, 2026 as “a one-stop shop that makes it easier to access the tools, resources, guidance and opportunities to do business with the port”9. Its Get Started page is organized as “Become Contract Ready”, “Compete with Confidence” and “Grow My Business”5.
The bids themselves sit on the Port’s PlanetBids portal, number 1923610. The Port’s own words: “The Port of Long Beach uses PlanetBids to advertise contracting opportunities, communicate with vendors and receive electronic proposal/bid submissions”2. The City’s purchasing portal is a different system, covered in Long Beach Buys: How to Register as a City Vendor. Long Beach Transit, the school district and the college each run their own PlanetBids portals as well, described in Selling to Long Beach Transit, LBUSD, Long Beach City College, Long Beach Utilities and the Airport.
Step 2. Create the PlanetBids account
The Port’s Quick Reference Guide, the August 31, 2026 version, gives the sequence3:
- Open the portal from Port Partners. The guide starts at the Port Partners site and opens the PlanetBids portal from there.
- Create the account. Click “Create Account” and enter the company name, the FEI/EIN or SSN, and an email address.
- Verify the email. PlanetBids sends a code to the address.
- Add NIGP categories. The guide says “Add applicable NIGP categories for your products and services”.
- Complete the profile. Company, contact and business details, and any certifications.
- Save and accept. Submit, save the confirmation email and accept the PlanetBids terms.
PlanetBids support is at 818-992-17713. The Port’s FAQ answers the cost question directly: “Yes. Vendors must create a free PlanetBids account to access solicitation documents and submit bids or proposals electronically.” The same FAQ says registration does not guarantee a contract2.
The NIGP categories matter because they drive the email. The Port says that when it advertises, “PlanetBids will notify all firms who have included at least one of those NIGP codes in their profile”1. A profile with no categories gets no matching notices.
Step 3. The $100,000 line
The Port’s Contracting Opportunities page sets the line between what is advertised and what is bought by a lighter process1.
| Expected value | What the Port does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| More than $100,000 | Advertised on PlanetBids “unless otherwise noted”; firms with a matching NIGP code are notified | 1 |
| Under $100,000 | “A simplified process to obtain lower value goods and services from qualified vendors”, with interested vendors collected through a Small Purchase Opportunities notification form | 1 |
The Port’s contracting manual is dated February 2011, and its current page restates only the $100,000 line. The manual draws the same line: “Formal contracts are those which exceed $100,000 and require BHC approval prior to entering into the contract”, where BHC is the Board of Harbor Commissioners, and “An informal contract may not exceed $100,000”7. Inside the informal range, the 2011 manual asks for “a minimum of three written quotations” on goods between $50,001 and $100,000, and for services of $50,000 and under, “a minimum of three verbal qualifications and quotations should be obtained where practicable”7.
By type of work, the 2011 manual describes professional services as qualifications-based and often awarded to on-call pools of three to five firms, and construction as sealed bids awarded to the “lowest responsible bidder who submits a responsive bid”7. The on-call pools advertised now are in What the City and Port of Long Beach Are Buying.
Step 4. Subcontractors register too
The Port extends registration down the chain on construction work. On the opportunities page: “any sub-contractor expected to be paid the greater of $10,000 or more than 0.5% of the bid price, must be identified as part of the bid, and therefore … must also be registered in PlanetBids”1. For non-construction scopes, registration is “preferred”1.
The two limits cross at a $2,000,000 bid price, where 0.5 percent is $10,000. On a $4,000,000 bid the line is $20,000; on a $500,000 bid it is the $10,000 floor. A subcontractor under the line is outside the rule as quoted. Small-business participation goals for subcontractors are covered in LBSBE, Port SBE and DBE, and the Port-wide project labor agreement in Project Labor Agreements and Prevailing Wage on Long Beach City and Port Work.
Step 5. Insurance and the executed agreement
Under the 2011 manual, Risk Management sets the insurance language before a solicitation is advertised. The manual says: “Contractors must provide evidence that they have obtained the insurance coverage and added POLB as additional insured on their policies prior to a contract being executed”, and that the notice to proceed is normally issued “30 days after all contract award conditions have been met (e.g., insurance, bonds)”7. The Port’s Vendor Guide lists five procurement phases, ending with award and execution, and says: “Wait until the agreement is fully executed or authorization is given before beginning work”4.
The Get Started and Compete with Confidence pages post no insurance or bonding schedule52. Port contract insurance limits and bond amounts are not stated on the pages read. The City’s side of insurance and bonding is in Insurance and Bonding for Long Beach Public Contracts.
Step 6. The Harbor Development Permit
The Harbor Development Permit is a different thing from vendor registration. The Port’s Permits page says an HDP “is required for development within the Long Beach Harbor District involving, but not limited to: construction, reconstruction, demolition, extension, alteration, improvement, erection, remodeling, or repair of any pier, slip, basin, wharf, dock, or other harbor structure, or any building or structure; or the placement of any solid material or structure on land or in or under water”6. The list continues with discharge or disposal of materials, dredging, mining or extraction, and change of access6.
Good to know The permit does not replace the City’s: “In addition to acquiring an HDP, all applicable City of Long Beach, State, and/or Federal permits … are required”6.
The Port Permits Desk is at (562) 283-7102 or [email protected]. The page lists four forms, updated in July 2026: Application Procedures, Emergency Form Application, HDP Long Form and HDP Short Form (common)6. This page states no HDP fee or processing time; the Permits Desk is the source for both.
Help from the Port
Compete with Confidence is a five-step readiness checklist: register as a vendor, learn what the Port procures, apply for SBE/VSBE certification, understand the procurement process, and stay connected2. For one-on-one help the Port refers vendors to PACE Business, which it describes as help with “business planning, financing and bonding guidance, government contracting assistance”2.
The Port’s own small business certification, SBE with an automatic VSBE tier, is free, takes a review of “five business days” and lasts three years; the Port also states that it “does not guarantee contract awards or provide bid preferences or price reductions”8. The certification is entered in the same PlanetBids vendor profile, on the Small Business Certification tab8.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Port of Long Beach vendor registration cost anything?
No. The Port says vendors “must create a free PlanetBids account” to see solicitation documents and submit bids electronically2.
Does registering with the Port guarantee a contract?
No. The Port states that registration does not guarantee a contract2.
Do I need a small business certification to sell to the Port?
Where does the Port post bids?
Do subcontractors on Port construction jobs have to register?
Yes, if expected to be paid the greater of $10,000 or more than 0.5% of the bid price; they must be identified in the bid and registered in PlanetBids1.
Is the Port's portal the same as the City's Long Beach Buys?
No. The Port uses PlanetBids, reached through Port Partners; the City uses Long Beach Buys2. See Long Beach Buys: How to Register as a City Vendor.
What is a Harbor Development Permit?
The Port’s approval for development in the Long Beach Harbor District, such as construction, demolition or dredging; City, state and federal permits are required in addition6.
Related Articles
Sources
- Contracting Opportunities — Port of Long Beach, Port Partners. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Compete with Confidence — Port of Long Beach, Port Partners. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Quick Reference Guide: How to Register as a Vendor in PlanetBids (31 Aug 2026) — Port of Long Beach, Port Partners. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Vendor Guide to Understanding the POLB Procurement Process — Port of Long Beach, Port Partners. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Get Started — Port of Long Beach, Port Partners. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Permits (Harbor Development Permit) — Port of Long Beach. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Port of Long Beach Contracting Procedures Manual (last revised February 2011) — Port of Long Beach, Harbor Department. Accessed 2026-09-30.
- SBE/VSBE Program — Port of Long Beach, Port Partners. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Cooperative agreement and Port Partners — Random Lengths News, September 14, 2026. Accessed 2026-09-30.
- Port of Long Beach vendor portal (PlanetBids portal 19236) — PlanetBids. Accessed 2026-09-30.