For Washington State and local purchasing agents
Washington State buyers have their own ladder, and one rung of it is closed to almost every vendor in the country. Direct Buy Level 2 can only be filled by a Washington small business or a certified veteran-owned business. That is the band SWC Solutions is built for.
An agency may buy directly with no competitive process.
An agency may buy directly, but only from a Washington small business as defined in RCW 39.26.010(22) or a certified veteran-owned business as defined in RCW 43.60A.010(7). A large or out-of-state vendor cannot legally fill this band.
An agency may award after inviting quotes from at least three Washington small businesses and certified veteran-owned businesses, with documentation and reporting completed. Certification puts a firm in the invitation pool by rule.
Thresholds from Enterprise Services policy POL-DES-125-03, issued under RCW 39.26.125. Verified 13 September 2026. Policy text: DES-125-03. Statute: RCW 39.26.125.
Public works, a separate and larger door
The Direct Buy ladder covers goods and services. Public works, meaning construction, alteration, repair, or improvement of real property, runs on a separate and more generous track: the small works roster. For installed millwork this is the larger of the two Washington doors by a wide margin.
An agency that has opted into direct contracting may award without any competitive process. Where six or more small businesses sit on the applicable roster, the statute says the agency must direct contract with one of them, rotating among them on later projects. Where five or fewer are available, it may direct contract with any contractor on the roster.
Why it matters. This is stronger language than the Direct Buy rule. Direct Buy Level 2 says an agency may only buy from a small or veteran-owned business. This says the agency must use one.
An agency may award off the roster by securing written or electronic quotations to establish a competitive price, with no formal advertised bid. The ceiling runs at $350,000 through 31 December 2026 and escalates on a statutory schedule to $650,000 by 2030.
Why it matters. Seven times the Direct Buy Level 2 ceiling, and still no advertised solicitation. Roster work is never posted where a vendor who is not on the roster would see it.
Scope. Small works rosters cover public works only. Training, curriculum, and consulting requirements do not run through this track; those go through WEBS and the Direct Buy levels above.
Roster work requires Washington contractor registration with Labor & Industries and a place on the applicable roster. SWC Solutions is not yet on a small works roster. Washington's statewide roster is MRSC Rosters, built by the Department of Commerce through the Municipal Research and Services Center under RCW 39.04.151(2). Stated here rather than implied, same as every other status on this site.
Roster placement pending
RCW 39.04.151 and RCW 39.04.152, verified 13 September 2026. Statute: RCW 39.04.152 and RCW 39.04.151.
Washington veteran-owned business certification is administered by the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs under RCW 43.60A.190. The SWC Solutions application is in process. Until it is issued, this firm is eligible for Direct Buy Level 2 on the Washington small business half of the rule, not the veteran-owned half.
That distinction matters and it is stated here rather than glossed over, because a buyer relying on the veteran-owned basis needs the certificate in the file.
Washington does not route solicitations by NAICS. WEBS uses NIGP commodity codes, and a vendor only receives a bid notice if the posted commodity code matches one on their registration. That is the single most common reason a qualified in-state vendor never sees a solicitation.
The code cross-reference lists every NIGP commodity code SWC Solutions registers under, next to the NAICS it corresponds to. If your office posts under a code that is not on that list, tell us and it gets added.
Washington entity record
Shop-built wood assemblies, delivered and installed, for federal and state facilities.
WEBS codes
Process improvement and quality systems, applied by someone who ran them on a submarine.
Curriculum design and instructor-led delivery from a Navy Master Training Specialist.
WEBS codes