Consultation Services and Minnesota Elicensing
Our consultants field all kinds of inquiries, ranging from basic process questions (What form do I need to file, where do I get it, and with whom do I file it?) to addressing far more complex regulatory, financial, managerial, business structure and other questions.
Contact one of our consultants:
Minnesota Elicensing
The Small Business Assistance Office maintains the Minnesota Elicensing web portal where you can access licensing information for over 680 licenses/permits/registrations/certifications administered by 46 state agencies. You can find the licenses you need, whether business, professional, recreational, or vehicle in one spot. Information is accessible in a variety of ways: by topic, by agency, name of license, or using a keyword search. Features on this portal include online application and renewal forms, electronic payment options, license look-up links, and detailed contact information.
Government Contracting/Procurement/Purchasing Contacts
State of Minnesota
The State of Minnesota has an a accounting and procurement system called StateWide Integrated Financial Tools (SWIFT). Vendors can interact with the state through the Supplier Portal, which is part of SWIFT. The Supplier Portal allows vendors to login and view payment detail as well as maintain address and contact information related to their vendor record.
Vendor Registration & Payment Questions
If you are interested in doing business with the state of Minnesota, you must register through the Supplier Portal. The Supplier Portal is part of the state's accounting and procurement system. It consolidates the state's vendor registration function and provides vendors with options.Before logging in to the Supplier Portal for the first time, it is important to review the comprehensive resources on registration for current and new vendors at Vendor Resources.
Registered vendors can view certain solicitation announcements through the Supplier Portal. They can also respond to certain solicitations in an online bidding process. Solicitations for goods and services (including professional services and large-dollar construction projects) are advertised at Solicitation Announcements.
See Vendor Information at Department of Administration, Office of State Procurement
State and Federal Government
Small Business Notes Newsletter
Small Business Notes is a monthly newsletter that provides timely, accurate and useful information on topics of interest to small businesses in Minnesota.
July 2019
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Seeks Comment on Major Questions Surrounding Harmonization of Securities Offering Exemptions
June 2019
UPDATE: SBA Proposes Rules on Small Business Size Standards and Calculation of Annual Receipts
(See: Small Business Notes for May, 2019, "Still No Movement on Small Business Administration Rules on Small Business Runway Extension Act")
May 2019
New Law Gives Original Jurisdiction to Minnesota District Courts on Disputes Relating to Public Procurement
Still No Movement on Small Business Administration Rules on Small Business Runway Extension Act
Federal Trade Commission Announces First Enforcement Decisions and Orders in Enforcement of the Consumer Review Fairness Act
May 2019 -- Special Edition
U.S. Department of Labor Reviews Standards for Workers as Employees or Independent Contractor in "Gig-Economy" and "Virtual Marketplace" Context
April 2019
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Posts Online Tutorial for Proposals for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grants
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Hearings and Appeals Affirms SBA Area Office Denial of 8(a) Disadvantaged Business Application Based on Gender Discrimination Not Directly Connected to Applicants Business Activity
A Caution from a Recent Federal Trade Secrets Case: Proprietary Information May Not Be a Trade Secret Absent Reasonable Efforts to Protect It
March 2019
Proposed Legislation Responds to Minnesota Court of Appeals Decision Allowing City of Minneapolis to Require Employers to Pay a Minimum Wage Greater than that Required by Minnesota Statute
U.S. Department of Labor Issues Opinion Letter on Delay in Designating Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Qualifying Leave as Actual FMLA Leave and on Providing FMLA leave Beyond the Statutory 12 Week Entitlement
Briefly Noted: U.S. Supreme Court Holds that Copyright Registration Occurs Only When Copyright Office Actually Issues Registration
February 2019
Securities and Exchange Commission Amends Regulation A+ Rules to Allow Use by Reporting Companies
Bill Introduced in Minnesota Legislature to Give Primary Jurisdiction to Minnesota District Courts in Public Procurement Actions
U.S. Supreme Court, In a Unanimous Decision, Addresses When a Commercial Sale Of an Invention To a Party Required by Terms of Sale to Keep the Invention Confidential Can Prevent Inventor from Obtaining a Patent
January 2019
U.S. Supreme Court to Address Legal Precedent on Deference Due by Courts to Regulatory Agency's Interpretation of Its Own Ambiguous Regulations
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Opinion Letter: Rate of Pay is An "Actual Fact" Not An Arbitrary Choice When Computing An Employee's Overtime Pay
Some Emerging Technologies May Soon Be Subject to Export Control Regulations
Some Federal Contractors May Lose Small Business Status Under New Law if U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Delays Rulemaking
November - December 2018
Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Holds that Employee Request for Religious Accommodation May Not Be Protected Activity under Anti-Retaliation Provision of Title VII of Civil Rights Act
October 2018
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Releases Draft of New Form 8996 for Taxpayers to Use with Qualified Opportunity Fund
September 2018
Calculating W-2 Wages for Internal Revenue Code Section 199A
August 2018
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Issues Invitation to File Briefs on Questions of Employee Use of Employer E-Mail and Communications Systems for Protected Activity
July 2018
U.S. Supreme Court Rules Against Physical Presence Nexus But Allows "Economic Nexus" for Collection of State Sales Tax by Online Sellers
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Seeks Comment on Proposed Goals for Disadvantaged Businesses
U.S. Department of Labor Issues Regulation Amendments to Increase Employers' Ability to Offer Health Coverage to Employees
June 2018
Will Cryptocurrencies Ever Make Sense for Small Businesses?
April 2018
Small Business Issues Emerge in Oral Argument on Internet Sales Tax Collection
March 2018
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms Cost of Remediation as an Affirmative Defense to Suit Under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) [Disability Support Alliance; Eric Wong v. Heartwood Enterprises, LLC, No. 16-1759 (March 21, 2018)]
February 2018
Minnesota Court of Appeals Affirms that the Minnesota Human Rights Act Does Not Impose a Duty on Employers to Engage in an Interactive Process to Identify Possible Disability Accommodations
January 2018
"Kill-Quill" Legislation to Get U.S. Supreme Court Review
Federal Court Upholds U.S. Small Business Administration Decision to Remove Business from List of Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business but Says that Decision Leads to "Draconian and Perverse Results"
December 2017
New Tax Law Makes Important Expansions for Small Business Expensing
November 2017
Pre-Markup Business Provisions in the Proposed "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" (H.R. 1)
October 2017
Certiorari Sought in Case Questioning When Copyright Registration Occurs
September 2017
U.S. Tax Court Rebuffs IRS Effort to Narrow Scope of "Reasonable Reliance" on Advice of Tax Professional
SEC Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies Asks Full Commission to Act Soon on Issue of Finders and Financial Intermediaries
August 2017
2017 Legislature Clarifies Exemptions From Securities Integration for Offerings Using MNvest Crowdfunding
2017 Legislature Imposes Sales Tax Obligation on Some Marketplaces That Facilitate Sales by Third Party Sellers Located Outside Minnesota
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business Takes Testimony On Reversing the Decline in Entrepreneurial Activity
July 2017
Congress Takes Testimony on Joint Employer Standards
June 2017
First Decision in Lawsuit on Website Accessibility Under Federal Americans With Disabilities Act
May 2017
U.S. supreme court decision May Work to Restrain "Patent Trolls"
February 2017
Federal Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Issues Guidance to Federal Agencies on Implementing January 30, 2017 Executive Order on Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs
January 2017
U.S. House of Representatives Passes Bill Amending Regulation D to Allow for Road Shows and Demo Days Without Running Afoul of Prohibition on General Solicitation
