Harbor Frequently Asked Questions

Harbor is Anne Arundel County’s modernized financial, procurement, and budgeting system. Powered by Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, it serves as the single, secure platform for all County financial operations and replaces legacy systems like PORT and JD Edwards.

Organizations doing business with the County, including procurement suppliers, payees, and real estate.

No, Harbor is an entirely new financial system replacing PORT as part of the County’s technology modernization effort, offering an upgrade in efficiency and technology.

Oracle is the technology provider for the Fusion Cloud platform that powers Harbor. It provides the secure, efficient infrastructure used to manage the County's modernized financial and e-procurement processes.

Harbor streamlines business with the County by offering faster, more predictable payments and a central hub for supplier data. It reduces manual paperwork and improves transparency and communication between the County and its partners.

Complete a Harbor support request form.

Within your company, access is managed by the staff members you designate with user accounts during or after registration. On the County side, profile information is strictly controlled and viewable only by authorized users within the County.

As a cloud-based system, Harbor is accessed via a web browser. Suppliers should ensure they have a stable internet connection and current browser to manage their profiles and respond to solicitations through the Harbor Supplier Portal.

Harbor utilizes Oracle’s secure Cloud environment, which includes robust security controls for data maintenance and storage.

Yes. Access to Harbor is managed through secure login protocols which supports multi-factor authentication for added security.

Yes. Suppliers must adhere to County procurement policies and system usage guidelines. Specific terms regarding data accuracy and responsibility for maintaining profile information are established during the registration process

Once your registration is approved, you can manage your company data directly through the Harbor Supplier Portal. Most profile changes are intended to be self-service, allowing you to maintain accurate information for purchasing, invoicing, and payments.

Updates to your profile ensure that master data remains current. While some general information may update quickly, significant changes (such as tax or banking details) trigger internal review processes to maintain data integrity.

Yes. Harbor is designed to automatically check for up-to-date documentation such as insurance certificates, licenses, and certifications. Maintaining current documents is essential, as expired items can prevent contract activation, award eligibility, or lead to payment delays.

Suppliers are responsible for maintaining their own user accounts and access within the portal. This includes managing user roles and ensuring that access is revoked for staff members who are no longer with your organization.

Yes. You are encouraged to identify a primary business contact responsible for the overall relationship, but you can also add additional contacts for specific roles, such as invoicing or system access.

Yes. Harbor will be the "single platform for doing business with the County" starting July 6, 2026. Registration is required to respond to solicitations, manage contracts, and ensure accurate payment processing.

Register for Harbor

While specific required fields are managed within the system, registration generally requires basic company information, business classifications, and necessary documentation such as a W-9, SDAT, and insurance.

NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes classify businesses based on their primary economic activity. In Harbor, they help classify suppliers to match them with relevant procurement opportunities.

Reference the NAICS codes.

A qualification is a specific requirement, such as those used by the Capital Construction group, that a supplier may need to meet as part of the registration or bidding process.

Required attachments are uploaded directly within the supplier portal as part of the registration process.

Once registration is submitted, suppliers will receive a confirmation that the registration was successful.

If you receive an error notice that your company is already registered, pleae submit a Harbor Support Request.

Select the Organization Type that best reflects your business’s legal and tax status, as registered with the IRS, not the products or services you provide. If you’re unsure, this information is typically listed on your W‑9, articles of incorporation, or other official registration documents. Below is a guide to help you choose:

Most Common Business Structures:

• Corporation / C Corporation / S Corporation - Select C Corporation or S Corporation based on your IRS tax election. (If you’re incorporated and not sure which, your W‑9 will indicate this.)
• LLC – C Corporation / LLC – S Corporation / LLC Partnership - Choose the option that matches how your LLC is taxed, not just that it’s an LLC.
• Partnership - For general or limited partnerships.
• Individual - For sole proprietors operating under an individual’s name.
• Trust/Estate - For trusts or estates acting as the supplier.

Select the Supplier Type that best describes how your organization will interact with and be paid by the organization. This selection helps route your registration correctly and ensures proper processing of contracts, payments, and communications.

Here’s how to choose:

• Real Estate - Select this if you provide real estate–related services, such as leasing, property sales or purchases, appraisals, right‑of‑way services, or property management.
• Procurement - Organizations that intend to bid on work or sell goods/services MUST choose Procurement. Select this if you plan to bid on solicitations, RFQs, or contracts and provide goods or services through the formal procurement process and recieve payments. MOST SUPPLIERS SHOULD CHOOSE THIS OPTION

Selecting the correct supplier type helps ensure your registration is reviewed, approved, and used appropriately. You may update your supplier later if your relationship or role changes.  

Organizations that intend to bid on work or sell goods/services should typically choose Procurement. Organizations that are only receiving payments and not bidding should usually choose Direct Payee.

The approver will vary based on supplier type. This is an opportunity to provide any useful information about your business, goods, or services to the County staff reviewing your registration.

In Anne Arundel County, supplier and contracting affiliations with County officials or employees are governed by Article 8 (Purchasing), Section 8-2-118(g) of the Anne Arundel County Code. 

Yes, list your contact with Anne Arundel County (AACO). This is optional and has no impact if you do not have one.

Yes. Tax and insurance documents may be required, depending on how you will do business and the type of payment or contract involved. Here’s how these requirement documents are used:

• Tax documents - Most suppliers will be required to submit a W‑9 (or appropriate tax form) so payments can be issued and reported correctly for tax purposes. This is required before payment can be processed.
• Insurance documents - Proof of insurance (such as a Certificate of Insurance) may be required before contract award or work begins, especially if you are providing services, performing work on‑site, or entering into a formal agreement.
• Not all suppliers need everything - Some supplier types (such as Direct Payees or one‑time payment recipients) may require tax documentation but not insurance. Procurement suppliers typically require both, depending on the scope of work.

SUBMITTING TAX DOCUMENTS DURING REGISTRATION IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

Supplying accurate and up‑to‑date documentation helps prevent delays in approval, contracting, or payment.

No. The contact requested on second registration tab is your contact with the County (if applicable). The contact requested here should be an employee with your firm who engages with the County for products, invoicing, and payments.

Yes, where possible.

Yes.

This question helps ensure your contact information is used correctly by the system and by our procurement team. The address/site you enter may serve different functions, and selecting one or more purposes tells us how it should be used.

• Bid on RFQs – The address/site will be used for sourcing activities, including receiving Requests for Quotes (RFQs), solicitations, and related bidding communications.
• Receive Purchase Orders – The address/site will be used to send official purchase orders and order-related communications.
• Receive Payments – The address/site will be associated with payment processing, such as checks, remittance advice, or payment notifications.

You may select more than one purpose if the same address/site should be used for multiple activities. If different addresses/sites are needed for different purposes, you have the opportunity to provide them separately by clicking “+Add Another Address” at the bottom of this page.

This is the 4-digit extension of your ZIP code.

It is optional but improves delivery; find it on official mail or the USPS website.

Descriptions of compliance attributes, certifications, or licenses that verify eligibility for specific opportunities.

Most suppliers will need to provide most if not all of these items to become Spend Authorized in the system to meet contractual and tax requirements. Below is a brief explanation of each option:

• Affidavit: Select this if your company has submitted a required sworn statement or declaration as part of the registration or contracting process.
• Certificate of Insurance: Select this if your company carries required insurance (such as general liability or workers’ compensation) and has provided proof of coverage.
• License: Select this if your business operates under a professional, occupational, or trade license required by law.
• PAVE Certified Businesses: Select this only if your company is officially PAVE certified. If you are PAVE certified, choose one applicable PAVE sub‑classification, as required.
• Permit: Select this if your business requires and holds permits relevant to the goods or services you provide.
• SAM.gov Review: Select this if your company is registered in SAM.gov, typically required for federal or federally funded work.
• SDAT Review: Select this if your business is registered and in good standing with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT).

If none of the listed classifications accurately describe your business, select “None of the classifications are applicable.”

This will not prevent you from completing registration or doing business unless a specific classification is required for a particular contract or solicitation.

Special note on PAVE certification: If your business is not PAVE certified, do not select the PAVE option. If you are PAVE certified, be sure to select only one PAVE sub‑classification to match your official certification record. If you’re unsure which options apply, it’s best to select conservatively and update your profile later if your status changes.

PAVE stands for Procurement Access and Supplier Equity.

It is Anne Arundel County’s business certification program designed to promote equitable access to County contracting opportunities for small and diverse businesses.

For more information about eligibility or benefits of being a PAVE certified business, please visit the Procurement Access and Supplier Equity (PAVE) site.

Select the product or service categories that best and most accurately reflect what your company currently offers. There is no required maximum, but it’s best practice to be selective rather than exhaustive.

As a general guideline:

• Choose categories that represent your primary goods or services
• Focus on what you are actively prepared to provide and support
• Avoid selecting categories that are only tangential or aspirational Selecting relevant categories helps ensure you:
• Receive appropriate bid notifications and RFQs
• Are matched to opportunities that align with your actual capabilities
• Avoid confusion or follow-up questions during procurement reviews You can update or refine your selections later if your offerings change, so start with what most clearly fits your business today.

NAICS Code Website

Choose only current offerings. You can update your profile as your business expands.

Use keywords to find the closest match or select the most relevant broad category.

Yes.

Yes.

The County uses this information to help your business succeed by matching you with the most relevant sourcing opportunities and notifications. It ensures you are aware of the bids that best fit your capabilities, and it also helps the County continuously improve our processes to better support our supplier community.

No, the list of open bid opportunities can be viewed without registration

List of active solictiations

Step by step instructions on how to view active solicitations

The Harbor system is designed to provide automated notifications to suppliers regarding addenda for solicitations they are actively working on.

The current status of any solicitation will be displayed directly within the Harbor supplier portal.

Contract award results will be posted and managed within the Harbor system once a final decision is reached.

Active contracts and procurement data will be managed and accessible through the new Harbor system portal.

Prospective is the intial registeration state and is only used for initial vetting, bidding in sourcing events, or qualification processes. No award, purchase order or payments can be made to this supplier status.

Spend Authorized is the formal status of a supplier who is fully vetted and approved to do business with the County for procurement and finance related activities.

Harbor allows you to manage multiple locations under a single profile. You can set up various Supplier Sites to correspond with different business addresses, specifying which locations should receive purchase orders, receive payments, or be used for bidding on solicitations

Standard practice in Harbor is to create a single supplier profile that utilizes multiple supplier sites, as long as they have the same Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). If there are different TINs, separate profiles and logins will be needed. This structure preserves historical records and prevents the creation of duplicate Tax IDs, which the system strictly controls.