Procurement Compliance Bulletin
3.29.2021
A Message from the Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs
Happy Spring! As we come to the close of Public Purchasing Month, we are reminded of how sharing and utilizing best practices helps make public procurement run more smoothly. A host of informative free trainings have been provided by organizations such as the Maryland Public Purchasing Association (MPPA) and NIGP, as well as the Office of State Procurement's Maryland Procurement Academy. There is a wealth of information available that highlights great ways to carry out the implementation of Maryland's socioeconomic programs. One of these best practices includes the collaboration of the procurement office with MBE/SBR liaisons and the agency's legal counsel. When these three parties have a proactive and cohesive relationship, it is like a threefold cord, which greatly increases the strength of all parties. This relationship is extremely valuable when issues arise during the bidding or compliance and monitoring periods. We encourage each of you to evaluate the current state of these relationships within your agency and we challenge you to implement ways to improve and strengthen them. As Henry Ford said, "Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success."
The FY2022 Procurement Forecast is due on June 30th. The FY2022 Procurement Forecast Instructions and template are located in both the MBE Reporting Toolkit and the SBR Reporting Toolkit. Agencies only need to submit one report with all projected procurements, including SBR designated procurements and those with MBE and VSBE goals.
This data, which includes all projected purchases of $100,000 and above for the fiscal year, connects with the Hogan administration's theme that “Maryland is Open for Business." Keep in mind the forecast is provided to the public and serves as an important tool for the small, minority, women, and veteran business community. Contracting opportunities are vital to the recovery of the small business community. Please give the proper attention to this mandatory report by following the instructions and being thorough with your responses.
Procurement Forecasts should be submitted via email in EXCEL FORMAT to:
compliance.gosba@maryland.gov
Procurement Forecast questions or issues should be directed to
Lisa Mitchell Sennaar at lisa.sennaar@maryland.gov.
VSBE Program Update
The 2020 Maryland General Assembly convened a Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise (VSBE) Work Group to look at the existing program and make recommendations for improvements. A report, prepared by the Department of General Services, has been submitted
to the governor and legislators.
While there are no details to share at this time, we don't want you to be caught off-guard. It is our expectation that proposed policy changes will have the intention of aligning the VSBE Program to policies currently governing the MBE Program.
We will share information as it becomes available, so stay tuned.
MBE Program
Reporting
The FY2021 3rd Quarter Report is due on April 30th. Quarterly Reports are due no later than 30 days following the quarter/month being reported, and should contain data from the start of the fiscal year, July 1, 2020. Quarterly reports are important in order to allow the agencies/departments and our office to view progress towards attainment of the statewide goal of 29 percent.
The MBE Reporting Toolkit contains the current report templates and instructions.
Reports should be submitted via email in EXCEL FORMAT to:
MBEreports.gosba@maryland.gov
The FY2022 MBE Strategic Plan is due on June 30th.The strategic plan is a vehicle for agencies to review their progress over time and map out a plan to continue and increase engagement of certified MBE firms.
The Strategic Plan template will be updated in the MBE Reporting Toolkit by April 1st.
Reports should be submitted via email to:
compliance.gosba@maryland.gov
MBE Reporting Toolkit
MBE questions or issues should be directed to the MBE Compliance Manager,
Nichelle Johnson, at nichelle.johnson1@maryland.gov or 410-697-9605.
MBE Liaison Training Material Available
Our office held a virtual MBE Liaison training session on February 25, 2021. The training slide deck and recording are now available in the MBE Reporting Toolkit. Topics discussed included:
- MBE Liaison duties as defined in statute
- Review of the new PRG forms
- Reporting Best Practices
- MBE Program Reporting Toolkit & MBE Reporting Templates and Manual
- Quarterly vs Annual Reporting
- Backup Documentation
- VSBE Program Reporting Toolkit & VSBE Annual Reporting
SBR Program
Reporting
The FY2021 3rd Quarter Report is due on April 30th. Quarterly Reports are due no later than 30 days following the end of the quarter being reported, and should contain data from the start of the fiscal year, July 1, 2020. Quarterly reports allow the agencies/departments and our office to view progress towards designating at least 15% of their spend for the SBR Program.
The SBR Toolkit contains report templates and instructions.
Reports should be submitted to the sbrreports.gosba@maryland.gov email box.
The FY2022 SBR Strategic Plan is due on June 30th. The strategic plan allows agencies to review their progress and map out a plan to continue and increase engagement of small, minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses.
The Strategic Plan template will be updated in the SBR Reporting Toolkit by April 1st.
Reports should be submitted via email to:
compliance.gosba@maryland.gov
SBR Reporting Toolkit
SBR Program questions or issues should be directed to the SBR Compliance Manager,
Lisa Mitchell Sennaar, at lisa.sennaar@maryland.gov or 410-697-9613.
SBR Liaison Training Material Available
Our office held a virtual SBR Liaison training session on February 16, 2021. This recording, as well as the slide deck, are now available in the SBR Reporting Toolkit. Topics discussed included:
- SBR Liaison duties as defined in statute
- Implementation of Executive Order 01.01.2021.01 - Increasing Small Business Participation in State Procurements
- Reporting Best Practices
- SBR Program Reporting Toolkit & SBR Reporting Templates and Instructions
- Quarterly vs Annual Reporting
- Backup Documentation
- VSBE Program Reporting Toolkit & VSBE Annual Reporting
Compliance & Policy Update
March Compliance Call
On March 11, 2021, we hosted our bi-monthly Compliance Call. Thank you to all of our participants. The bulk of the conversation centered on the proper implementation of the new SBR Executive Order. We believe open and continuing conversations will help us ensure we remain compliant with state procurement regulations and policies. For those who were unable to join the call, please click HERE to see the questions and responses in our Compliance Call Library. You may also access this document in the MBE and SBR Toolkits.
Upcoming May 13, 2021 Compliance Call
The purpose of this conference call is to address issues impacting the SBR, MBE, and VSBE procurement programs in an open and transparent forum.
We would like to address specific questions that you, our agency stakeholders, are asking. Please submit questions 14 days in advance (by April 29, 2021) to:
compliance.gosba@maryland.gov
To participate, register using the link provided below. You will receive a Conference Call invitation with call in details several days before the call.
Thursday, May 13 2021
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Click the button below to register for the Compliance Call.
Each year, after the close of the Maryland General Assembly, the Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs hosts a liaison training session to discuss any new legislative changes that may directly affect our socioeconomic programs and/or the direct work of liaisons. This virtual training will be held in June. Please stay tuned for the announcement of that training date and plan to attend.
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