Most public buyers who know anything about CMAS know the headline benefit: you can skip a formal competitive bid. What far fewer people realize is that the vendor you choose within CMAS can change the actual cost of your project, and can help your agency hit numbers it’s already required to hit. That difference comes down to one detail: whether your vendor is a certified small business.
The Fee That Quietly Disappears
Leveraged Procurement Agreements like CMAS aren’t free for the state to administer, so DGS builds in a small fee to cover the cost of the program. For local government purchases, the CMAS contractor pays DGS an incentive fee of 1.25% of the order value each quarter; for state agency purchases, the purchasing agency pays a comparable administrative fee directly to DGS.
Here’s the part that matters to you as a buyer: if the CMAS contractor is a California- certified small business, that fee is waived entirely, for both local and state purchases.
On a modest project, 1.25% doesn’t sound like much. On a large one, it adds up fast. A $2.5 million AV project carries roughly $31,250 in fees that a small business vendor simply doesn’t pass along, because there’s nothing to pass along. The fee never applies in the first place.
It Also Helps You Hit a Number You’re Already Chasing
California has set a statewide goal, under Executive Order S-02-06, that state agencies direct at least 25% of their applicable contract dollars to certified small businesses (with an additional target for disabled veteran business enterprises). DGS tracks agency progress toward that goal on an ongoing basis. Many local agencies, including school districts, work under their own supplier-diversity and small-business participation targets as well.
What that means in practice: a purchase from a certified small business isn’t just a nice thing to do. For a lot of public buyers, it’s a purchase that counts toward a benchmark someone in your organization is already responsible for reporting on.
Pricing You Can Trust, Without the Bidding-War Guesswork
Because CMAS pricing traces back to a GSA Schedule that’s already been evaluated as fair, reasonable, and competitive, you’re not relying on a vendor’s word for it. The rate structure has been through a federal review process before it ever reaches a CMAS agreement. That’s a different kind of assurance than what you get from an open bid, where price alone can sometimes win out over the vendor who’s actually the best fit for the project.
Why This Adds Up Over Time, Not Just Per Project
Most agencies we work with aren’t doing a single AV project and calling it done. They’re upgrading classrooms, council chambers, or performance spaces in phases over several budget cycles. A fee that disappears on every purchase, plus small-business dollars that count toward a standing state or district goal, compounds across a multi- year relationship in a way that’s easy to underestimate the first time around.
A Concrete Example
Say your district is planning a $1.8 million auditorium and classroom AV refresh. Under a state purchase, a non-small-business vendor's contract would typically carry the standard CMAS administrative fee on that order. Route the same project through a certified small-business vendor, and that fee is removed entirely. That’s money that stays in your project budget instead of flowing to a program fee. Multiply that across a multi-site rollout, and the number stops being a rounding error.
It’s a small detail buried in a program overview, which is exactly why so few buyers ever hear about it. It's not a secret so much as a line item nobody thinks to ask about until it’s pointed out.
How to Check Before You Buy
Not every CMAS vendor is a certified small business, and there’s no reason to guess. DGS’s CMAS database flags a contractor’s small business and microbusiness certification status directly, so it’s worth checking before you finalize a vendor. The difference shows up on your invoice and in your agency’s compliance reporting.
Vizual Symphony is a California Certified Small Business and an alum of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. When you work with us through one of our CMAS agreements, the administrative fee that would otherwise apply simply doesn’t.
Let’s Talk Numbers
If you want to see what the fee waiver and small-business credit actually look like for your specific project, schedule a consultation and we’ll walk through the math together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CMAS administrative or incentive fee?
It’s a fee DGS charges to cover the cost of administering the CMAS program. It’s 1.25% for local government purchases (paid by the contractor) and a comparable fee for state purchases (paid by the purchasing agency).
Why is the fee waived for small businesses?
DGS waives the CMAS administrative and incentive fees entirely when the contractor is a California-certified small business, as an incentive to route public spending toward small businesses.
Does buying from a small-business CMAS vendor help my agency meet its participation goals?
It can. California has a statewide goal (Executive Order S-02-06) of directing at least 25% of applicable state contract dollars to certified small businesses, and many local agencies track similar targets. A purchase from a certified small-business CMAS vendor typically counts toward those figures.
How do I confirm whether a CMAS vendor is a certified small business?
DGS’s CMAS contractor database lists small business and microbusiness certification status for each vendor. You can also ask the vendor directly for their certification documentation.
Is Vizual Symphony a certified small business?
Yes. Vizual Symphony is a California Certified Small Business and an alum of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.
Does a small-business CMAS vendor cost more for the same equipment?
No. The underlying product and service pricing comes from the same GSA-based rate structure regardless of vendor size. The difference is the administrative fee, which is waived specifically because the vendor is a certified small business.
Do local agencies, like school districts, have small-business goals too?
Many do, though the specifics vary by agency. The statewide 25% goal under Executive Order S-02-06 applies to state agencies, and it's common for counties, cities, and districts to track comparable supplier-diversity targets of their own.
