Message from Special Secretary Rhee

MBEs Among Nation's Fastest Growing Private Companies

Congratulations to the certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) firms named on the 2018 Inc.5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. Maryland is home to 111 of the companies named, and 11 are certified MBEs. With over 6 million businesses in the US, making the top 5,000 is quite an accomplishment. Kudos to these outstanding small businesses!

Audacious Inquiry, LLC
Contracting Resources Group, Inc.
DK Consulting, LLC
Exceed Corporation
Global Energy Services, LLC
Group Z, Inc.
INFOJINI, Inc.
Managed Care Advisors, Inc.
NewWave Telecom and Technologies, Inc.
TISTA Science and Technology Corporation
Versatech, Inc.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Rhee
Special Secretary  

FY2019 Procurement Forecast Available Online

The State of Maryland's Procurement Forecast for FY20-19 is now available on the Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs website. The database is populated with state and federally-funded solicitations and contracts of $100,000 or greater that are expected to be advertised or awarded through June 30, 2019. It comprises both new and recurring items, including task orders issued under master contracts. Users can choose from six different options to focus their search. By downloading the results to an Excel spreadsheet, users obtain additional information not visible on the screen, such as the buyer's name and contact information. Small businesses are often looking for contracting opportunities below $100,000, so many agencies also include projected contracts between $15,000 and $99,000. Every small business interested in doing business with the State of Maryland should be familiar with this powerful business intelligence tool.

FY2019 Procurement Forecast
 

Maximize Your MBE Directory Listing

If your firm is certified as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), chances are high that your directory listing isn't attracting much attention. And the reason will probably surprise you. Most firms neglect to list references. Why does it matter? References are examples of past performance - a critical evaluation factor every prime contractor considers when bringing on a subcontractor. It is arguably the second-most important selection criteria after price. For a prime contractor, "No reference data on record" is the same thing as saying you have no past performance. Thankfully, adding references is fairly simple. Choose references that will speak highly of your work, double check that all the contact information is accurate, and make sure he/she is aware they may be contacted. Your references should be relevant to the work you want to perform and be updated every year or so. Complete and submit the Reference Data form to the Office of Minority Business Enterprise to have your directory listing updated with this critical information. 

MBE Directory - Reference Data

Procurement 101 En Español

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American Citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. This year we're joining in the celebration by offering a special session of our Procurement 101 technical training class in Spanish. Eduardo Hayden, Small Business Outreach Manager for the Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs will lead the class which is designed to help small businesses gain insights to the state's procurement arena. This free class will be held on Thursday, September 27th at 10:30 am at the Gaithersburg Regional Libriary. Advance registration is required.  

Procurement 101 in Spanish