Help Topics
What is Harbor?
Welcome to Harbor, the county's modernized financial and procurement platform powered by Oracle, designed to streamline how we do business together. For suppliers, Harbor serves as a centralized, user-friendly portal to easily discover bidding opportunities, submit invoices, and more.
Functions Available:
- View Active Solicitations
- Submit Bids & Proposals
- View Awards & Contracts
- View & Managing Purchase Orders
- Manage Agreements
- Manage Schedules
- Create / View Invoices
- View Invoice Statuses
- View Payments
System Links and Browser Information
The following links are the most common that you will be using in your Harbor journey. Please feel free to bookmark these links for ease of access when doing business with the county.
Browser Support
Harbor (Oracle) supports most modern browsers. More Information
What is your Supplier Type?
Harbor serves several types of suppliers that interact with the county in different ways. Understanding your Supplier Type will help you register and effectively use Harbor to do business with the county.
Supplier Types
Identifying your correct Supplier Type helps ensure your registration is reviewed, approved, and used appropriately. You may update your type later if your relationship or role changes.
Information Needed for Registration
To make registration quick and avoid delays, gather the following information before you begin:
1. Company Information
- Legal business name (as registered for tax purposes)
- Organization type (e.g., LLC, Corporation, Sole Proprietor)
- Taxpayer ID / EIN (from your W‑9)
- Tax registration number (if applicable)
- Company website (if available)
- Supplier type (most vendors will select “Procurement”)
Helpful Tips
- Your W‑9 form is the best place to confirm this information
- Quicklink to FAQ about organization type
- Quicklink to FAQ about supplier type
2. Primary Contact Information
- Name of main business contact (who is responsible for managing your company’s relationship with Anne Arundel County and can handle communications, registration details, invoicing, and system access for Harbor)
- Email address (used for login and communication)
- Phone number
- Job title / role
Helpful Tips
- You may also need additional contacts for different roles (optional but recommended)
- Quicklink to FAQ about business contacts
3. Business Address(es)
- Full mailing address
- ZIP code (ZIP+4 optional)
- You can use the same address for multiple purposes if needed or you can use different addresses for different functions like purchase orders, payments, or bidding depending on what is relevant for your business
Helpful Tips
- Quicklink to FAQ about business address(es)
4. Products & Services
- A list of services and/or products your company currently provides to the County
Helpful Tips
- Only select what you actively offer today, not future capabilities
- Quicklink to FAQ about service/product offerings
5. Business Classifications (only if they apply to your business)
- Licenses
- Certifications (e.g., PAVE)
- Insurance status
- Government registrations (e.g., SAM.gov, SDAT)
Helpful Tips
- If none apply, you can select “None.”
- Quicklink to FAQ about business classifications
6. Required Documents
- W‑9 (required for payments)
- Certificate of Insurance (if providing services or contracts)
Helpful Tips
- These may not be required at the start, but having them ready will prevent delays
- Quicklink to FAQ about required documents for different supplier types
- Ensure that you have the most recent W9 form
7. Optional (but helpful)
- Anne Arundel County contact name (if you have one)
- Internal notes for approver (if applicable)
Helpful Tips
- Adding a County contact can help speed up review and ensure your registration is routed correctly, if you don’t have one, it can be left blank without any impact
- Quicklink to FAQ about recommended County contacts for different supplier types
Information about Roles
User roles define the specific permissions and access levels granted to individuals within your organization. They ensure that each contact has the necessary access to perform their specific job responsibilities such as bidding, order management, or invoicing within the Harbor system.
Each contact added into the system must:
- Be assigned at least one role (based on job responsibilities)
- Optionally be marked as an Administrator (if they will manage access and company information)
A single user can:
- Have multiple roles
- Be both an Administrator and a role holder
Instructions for setting up roles can be found in the Managing Supplier Contact help guide
An Administrator is not a separate job function - it is an additional designation that can be assigned to any contact with any role in the system.
This means:
- A Bidder, Customer Service Representative, Sales Representative, or Accounts Receivable Specialist can also be an Administrator
- You do not need a separate person just to serve as Administrator
Why the Administrator Role Matters
Only Administrators can manage your company’s access and information in the supplier portal. Without an Administrator, your organization will not be able to fully operate in the system.
Administrators are responsible for:
- Maintaining company profile information
- Adding, updating, or removing supplier contacts
- Granting access so employees can perform their assigned roles
Without at least one Administrator, your company will not be able to maintain its information or respond to required updates.
Assign roles based on what each person does in your organization. Available Roles:
Supplier Bidder
Responds to County solicitations such as Request for Proposals (RFPs) and Invitation for Bid (IFB).
Typical users: sales staff, proposal managers
Supplier Customer Service Representative
Manages purchase orders and shipment activities.
Typical tasks:
- Review and acknowledge orders
- Request order changes
- Submit shipment details and notices
- Track delivery and receipt activity
Typical users: customer service, logistics, fulfillment staff
Supplier Sales Representative
Manages agreements, catalog items, and contract deliverables.
Typical users: account managers, contract managers
Supplier Accounts Receivable Specialist
Handles invoicing and payment tracking.
Typical tasks:
- Submit invoices
- Track invoice and payment status
Typical users: billing and finance staff
Supplier Self Service Administrator (Role)
Maintains supplier profile information and supports user access requests.
Important: This is a functional role related to vendor profile maintenance.
It is separate from the Administrator designation described above.
PO Supplier Spend Authorized
Manages supplier authorization related to spend eligibility.
Typical users: internal supplier management or authorization staff
Recommended Role Setup
- Assign roles based on actual job duties
- Designate at least one Administrator (preferably two or three)
- Ensure coverage for:
- Administrator designation
- Bidding
- Order management
- Invoicing
- Account/profile maintenance
Check for Pre-registration
If you have recently done business with the County, you may already be pre-registered in the Harbor system. We have emailed login instructions to all pre-registered suppliers.
Not sure if you have an account? Enter your email address below to check your registration status. An email with additional information will be sent to the inbox entered.