Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs

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Small Biz Bulletin

August 3, 2021


Special Secretary Jimmy Rhee

Message from Special Secretary Rhee

It is clear that the COVID-19 virus is not done with us yet as the Delta variant makes its presence known around the world and right here at home. The best protection for you, your family, your employees, your customers, and your community at large is to get vaccinated. The vaccine is free to everyone over the age of 12 and is readily available to all those who want it. The State is adding additional data to the coronavirus dashboard with key health metrics that look at the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.
I firmly support Governor Hogan's efforts to be open and transparent with this information as I believe it will help the undecided make an informed and intelligent decision. Vaccination is our best protection against this insidious virus. While the state invests in advertising and social media campaigns, I ask those of you who are vaccinated to encourage and influence those in your circle to follow suit. You may be all the reassurance needed to help others make the choice to get the shot. Find a vaccination clinic near you by using the link below. 

covidLINK

Jimmy Rhee
Special Secretary



For Your Business

Maryland OPEN for Business

FY2022 Procurement Forecast

Business intelligence is all about gathering and analyzing data that can deliver actionable information to help make informed business decisions. Maryland's Procurement Forecast is a powerful business intelligence tool. The database, which is published on the Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs website, is populated with solicitations of $100,000 or greater that are expected to be advertised or awarded through June 30, 2022. 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 search results to Excel, expanded information is provided, such as the buyer’s name and contact information. Small businesses are often looking for contracting opportunities below $100,000. As a result, many state agencies also include information on projected contracts between $15,000 and $99,999. Access to this vital information reinforces the open and transparent nature of Maryland's public contracting arena. 

FY2022 Procurement Forecast Portal

 

Green Purchasing Committee

Green Purchasing

Did you know the state of Maryland has an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program? Established by the Green Maryland Act of 2010, the Maryland Green Purchasing Committee's goal is to foster the health of our communities and environment by promoting sustainable procurement practices as they work with State agencies and vendors to “green” State purchasing. This is achieved by integrating environmental mandates into procurement contracts. The Committee recently launched a vendor survey to understand the needs of the vendor community as it relates to sustainability in procurement. Your input is valuable. Please take five minutes to complete the 17-question survey by 8.13.2021. 

Green Purchasing Vendor Survey 

 

SBDC Logo

Small Biz Resource Connections

Maryland is rich with resources for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Each quarter we will invite one organization to shine the spotlight on themselves during a 1-hour webinar. Join us on August 6 at 10 am to learn about the small business consulting and training programs offered by the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Most services are offered at no cost or low cost and their business counselors are located throughout the state. Register and join us to learn more about how SBDC can help you. Advance registration is required. 

Small Biz Resource Connections


Technical Training Classroom Webinar Series

Proposal Writing tips

Technical Training Classroom

Join us for our August Technical Training Classroom webinars from the comfort of your office, home, car, boat, RV, or anywhere you have Internet access. Back by popular demand, we are covering proposal reading and writing skills. Our guest instructor, Tina Patterson of Jade Solutions, a certified proposal manager and small business owner who has first-hand experience on bidding. Her insights will help improve your approach to reading and responding to proposals issued by the State of Maryland. There is no cost to attend, but advance registration is required. 


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We continually share information curated specifically for small, minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses on our social media platforms. We'll inspire you with our #MotivationMonday series and connect you to a broad range of small business resource organizations. We also share information about loan programs and funding opportunities as well as small business events and training programs. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 

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