Practice Area
Government Services
Certification, lobbying, and procurement counsel helping Indiana businesses compete for public contracts and advocate lawfully before government.
Doing business with government agencies runs on paperwork most companies never encounter anywhere else: certification applications, bidder registrations, lobbyist disclosures, and contract compliance audits. Berkshire Law's Government Services practice helps Indiana business owners navigate the state and municipal systems that control access to public dollars and public influence, from the Indianapolis City-County Building to the Indiana Statehouse.
The practice covers three connected areas. Certified Business Enterprises work helps minority, women, veteran, and disadvantaged business owners get and keep MBE, WBE, VBE, DBE, and federal 8(a) status. Lobbying work registers and advises individuals and organizations that communicate with lawmakers or agency officials on behalf of a client. Procurement work helps businesses respond to RFPs and IFBs, negotiate government contract terms, and handle compliance once a contract is awarded.
These areas overlap constantly. A certified MBE bidding on an INDOT project needs both certification paperwork and procurement guidance. A trade association pushing for a regulatory change needs lobbyist registration and an understanding of how that regulation will affect procurement rules later. We treat government work as a single practice because clients experience it that way.
Jynell D. Berkshire built this practice around a hard reality: Indiana's public contracting and lobbying systems are procedural minefields. Missed deadlines, incomplete applications, and misunderstood thresholds routinely knock qualified businesses out of contention. Our role is to keep clients inside the rules while they pursue the opportunities those rules were built to create.
What
What the Government Services practice covers
Government Services is an umbrella practice for legal work tied to public sector participation: getting certified as a diverse or disadvantaged business, registering and reporting as a lobbyist, and competing for and performing government contracts. Each function has its own statutes, agencies, forms, and deadlines.
The work is document heavy and deadline driven. Certification applications require ownership and control evidence. Lobbyist filings require activity and expenditure reporting on a fixed calendar. Procurement responses require exact compliance with solicitation instructions. We manage the legal and procedural side of each so clients can keep running the business.
Certification counsel
Guidance through MBE, WBE, VBE, DBE, and SBA 8(a), HUBZone, and WOSB applications and renewals.
Lobbying compliance
Registration and periodic activity reporting with the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission.
Procurement support
Bid preparation, contract review, protest support, and post-award compliance for state and municipal contracts.
Why
Why legal guidance matters in public sector work
Government processes are unforgiving about form. A certification application missing an ownership document, a lobbyist report filed a day late, or a bid that fails a mandatory requirement can end an opportunity regardless of the merits of the business. These are procedural gates, not negotiations.
The rules also change. Federal certification standards have shifted in recent years, state MWBE rules are periodically amended, and agencies update DBE goals and solicitation formats. Businesses that handle this occasionally are at a structural disadvantage against agencies and competitors who deal with it daily.
Deadline exposure
Lobbyist activity reports and certification renewals run on fixed statutory calendars with no informal grace period.
Ownership and control scrutiny
Certifying agencies verify who actually controls day to day operations, not just who holds equity on paper.
Protest windows
Bid protest rights are typically available only for a short, defined period after an award decision.
Multi-agency coordination
State, city, and federal programs each have separate applications, separate certifying bodies, and separate renewal clocks.
Who
Who this practice serves
We serve Indiana businesses owned by minorities, women, and veterans seeking certification to compete for set-aside and goal-driven contracts; contractors and vendors preparing to bid on state, city, or INDOT work; and organizations, associations, and individuals who need to communicate with legislators or executive branch officials on a client's behalf.
We also serve businesses that already hold certification or lobbyist registration and need help with renewals, recertification, activity reporting, or a compliance review after a contract audit.
Minority, women, and veteran business owners
Seeking MBE, WBE, or VBE certification with the State of Indiana or the City of Indianapolis.
Disadvantaged construction and transportation firms
Pursuing DBE certification for INDOT and federally funded highway or transit work.
Small businesses targeting federal contracts
Pursuing SBA 8(a), HUBZone, or WOSB status along with SAM.gov registration.
Contract lobbyists and government affairs staff
Needing Indiana lobbyist registration and semiannual activity report compliance.
Bidders, primes, and subcontractors
Responding to state and municipal RFPs, IFBs, and cooperative purchasing contracts.
When
When to bring us in
The best time to engage is before an application is filed, before a lobbying relationship begins, or before a bid is submitted. Fixing an incomplete certification application or a late lobbyist filing after the fact is harder, and sometimes impossible, compared to getting the filing right the first time.
Clients also come to us mid-process: after a certification denial or on-site review raised concerns, after receiving a solicitation with an unusually short turnaround, or with a bid protest deadline running.
Before applying for certification
To confirm eligibility and assemble ownership and control documentation correctly the first time.
Before compensated advocacy begins
To register with the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission before any lobbying activity starts.
Before submitting a bid
To review solicitation terms, teaming arrangements, and mandatory compliance requirements.
After a denial, audit, or adverse award
To respond within the applicable window with a complete, well supported filing.
How
How we approach government work
We start by identifying which certifications, registrations, or contract opportunities actually fit the client's business, ownership structure, and goals, rather than chasing every available label. From there we manage the paperwork, deadlines, and agency correspondence directly.
For contracting and lobbying matters we review the underlying documents line by line: solicitation terms, subcontracting agreements, lobbying agreements, and audit findings, so clients understand their obligations before they sign or file anything.
Eligibility screening
Assess ownership, control, size, and program fit before recommending a certification path.
Application preparation
Assemble and review supporting documents for state, city, and federal certification portals.
Filing management
Track and prepare Indiana lobbyist registrations and semiannual activity reports.
Bid and contract review
Review RFP and IFB terms, contract language, and compliance obligations before submission or execution.
Services in this practice
Certified Business Enterprises
Helping Indiana businesses obtain and maintain MBE, WBE, VBE, DBE, and SBA 8(a), HUBZone, and WOSB certification for public contracting.
Legislative & Executive Branch Lobbying
Advising clients on Indiana lobbyist registration, activity reporting, and compliant advocacy before the General Assembly and executive agencies.
Procurement, Bidding & Government Contracting
Helping businesses respond to state and municipal solicitations, negotiate government contracts, and manage bid protests and compliance reviews.
Questions
Common questions
Do you only work with businesses in Indianapolis?
The practice is based in Indianapolis and built around Indiana state and municipal programs, along with federal programs such as SBA 8(a) and SAM.gov registration that apply nationwide. Businesses located elsewhere in Indiana, or bidding on Indiana projects from out of state, are also served.
Can one business hold multiple certifications at once?
Yes. A business can hold state MBE or WBE certification, City of Indianapolis certification, INDOT DBE certification, and a federal SBA designation at the same time if it independently meets each program's eligibility requirements. Each certification has its own application, agency, and renewal schedule.
Is there a fee to apply for MWBE certification in Indiana?
The Indiana Department of Administration does not charge a fee to apply for state MBE or WBE certification. Costs for applicants usually come from gathering documentation, bringing business filings current, and, where used, legal assistance preparing the application.
Who has to register as a lobbyist in Indiana?
Generally, individuals who are compensated to lobby the Indiana General Assembly or executive branch agencies, or who spend above statutory thresholds on lobbying activity, must register with the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission. Whether a specific arrangement triggers registration depends on the nature and compensation of the activity.
What is a bid protest and when can one be filed?
A bid protest is a formal challenge to how an agency conducted a procurement or made an award decision. Protest procedures and deadlines vary by awarding agency, and the window to file is typically short, running from the award decision or from when the basis for protest became known.
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