Procurement Compliance Bulletin
5.22.2024
We celebrate both National Small Business and Military Appreciation month every May. This is the perfect time to honor underrepresented business owners, while we also recognizing the contributions and sacrifices of the men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Veterans are 45% more likely to start their own businesses, so it is no surprise that our Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise (VSBE) Program is seeing tremendous growth. We took this opportunity to honor three VSBEs at the 2024 Small Business Military Appreciation Breakfast, co-hosted by GOSBA and Prince George's Community College on May 15th. Congratulations to Admiral Elevator Company, Pinnacle Software Consulting, LLC, and Trust Consulting Services.
Thank you to the following state units who engaged with our veteran community at the appreciation breakfast: General Services, Veteran Affairs, Military Department, Health, Commerce, Education, State Highway Administration, Port Administration, and the Transportation Authority.
Special events and significant months like these serve to remind us that we are better and stronger united together in support. We are honored to encourage certified vendors in our socioeconomic programs by providing resources, outreach, and opportunities for state contracting.
Spread the Word
Vendor Survey
Maryland periodically conducts a study to determine whether there is racial and/or gender business discrimination in the markets in which the State does business, both public and private sectors. The state and MDOT are partnering with an independent consultant, MGT Consulting Group, to complete the study. We invite all business owners to participate in an online vendor survey to share experiences with or observations of discrimination, if any, and its impact on businesses in the state's marketplace. The credence of the study and the legal defensibility of these programs are intrinsically tied to the response rates received. The magnitude of the study and its implications cannot be overstated. Please help spread the word and share the flyer linked below to ensure all businesses have the opportunity to participate in this vendor survey.
Get Involved with Maryland's Disparity Study
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- GOSBA hosts a compliance call each quarter to address issues impacting how the MBE, VSBE and SBR procurement programs are implemented by participating state agencies and departments. Topics for discussion come from you, our liaisons and procurement officers. We discuss them in an open and transparent forum so we can all learn from one another.
Topics will include:
- Recent ANSWERS Issues
- Reporting Reminders
- VSBE Program Updates
- SBR Program Updates
Please email topics you would like to have addressed
no later than May 28, 2024
to compliance.gosba@maryland.gov.
Invitations will be sent out soon. If you have questions about the Compliance Call or would like to add a staff member to our mailing list, let us know. If you do not wish to attend any upcoming meetings, simply decline the meeting invitation.
For questions about the compliance call, please email
lisa.sennaar@maryland.gov
All participating units shall submit a Strategic Plan to GOSBA each fiscal year. This mandatory report is submitted as a Google Form in a consolidated format with distinct MBE and SBR sections. Beginning with the FY2025 submission, the Strategic Plan will now include a VSBE section. The form uses logic to navigate you through the process. For those agencies that participate in all three programs, a PDF version of the form will be provided in the MBE, VSBE, and SBR toolkits on GOSBA's website so you can coordinate your answers across multiple contributors. Each agency should only submit one strategic plan.
Strategic planning is an organizational management activity that is used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and other stakeholders are working toward common goals, establish agreement around intended outcomes/results, and assess and adjust the unit's direction in response to a changing environment.
The Consolidated Strategic Plan FY2025 is now available in the MBE Reporting Toolkit, VSBE Reporting Toolkit, and SBR Reporting Toolkit,
The strategic plan is due on June 30, 2024
The Procurement Forecast is provided to the public and serves as a valuable tool for the small, minority, women, and veteran business community. This is a mandatory report for all participating agencies. Starting with FY2025, the forecast will include VSBE goals on any projected or recurring purchases of $50,000 and above.
Please be sure to give this report the proper attention by following the instructions and being thorough with your responses. Participating units only need to submit one completed forecast that includes all FY2025 projected procurements.
The FY2025 Procurement Forecast instructions and template are now available in the SBR Reporting Toolkit, MBE Reporting Toolkit and the VSBE Reporting Toolkit.
The Procurement Forecast is due on June 30, 2024
FY2025 Strategic Plan
VSBE Liaisons will now be contributing to your unit's strategic plan. This mandatory report is in a consolidated format and will now include a VSBE section in addition to the SBR and MBE program sections. For those agencies that participate in all programs, a PDF version of the form will be provided on the MBE, VSBE, and SBR toolkit pages on GOSBA's website so your agency can coordinate answers across multiple contributors. The strategic plan template is submitted electronically as a Google Form and will be made available in April.
The strategic plan is due on June 30, 2024
FY2025 Quarterly Reporting Requirement Change
In order to enhance the consistency of reporting requirements across all three socioeconomic procurement programs, GOSBA will require VSBE participating agencies/departments to submit quarterly performance reports beginning in FY2025. GOSBA will host a training session for VSBE Liaisons before the first FY2025 quarterly report is due.
FY2024 VSBE Annual Reporting
It was announced during the Liaison Training earlier this month that GOSBA is making changes to the VSBE data collection for the FY2024 annual report. First, the outreach data will now be collected in a Google Form instead of a fillable PDF document. Secondly, prime and subcontractor payment data will be reported separately. The toolkits, reporting manuals, and supplemental reporting guidance will be updated soon.
To address any questions or concerns about the VSBE certification, outreach, or training assistance, please contact Danielle Davis at danielle.davis2@maryland.gov.
The House Appropriations Committee has mandated an additional round of surveys in 2024 to address ongoing concerns about attainment of MBE goals, liaison vacancies, and the liaison's role within each agency.
The Agency MBE Participation Attainment and Agency Liaison surveys are being conducted by the Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs in collaboration with the Department of General Services, Office of State Procurement. A report is due to the Committee in December.
The MBE Survey will launch by July 1st and the Liaison Survey is expected to launch in November.
Thank you to everyone who attended the combined SBR, MBE, and VSBE Liaison training on May 9, 2024. We were all surprised and pleased to have Governor Wes Moore drop in and share his message of support for the important work we all do.
For those who were unable to attend, the slide deck and training video will be available on the GOSBA website in the MBE Reporting Toolkit, VSBE Reporting Toolkit, and SBR Reporting Toolkit, by next week.
Thank you to the participating agencies that turned in their SBR and MBE 3rd Quarter Reports that were due to GOSBA on April 30th.
Quarterly reporting is MANDATORY and timely submission of data is critical.
Participating agencies that failed to submit the required data were identified in GOSBA's statewide quarterly report that was submitted to the Governor, Lt. Governor, Board of Public Works, and Cabinet.
No 4th Quarter Report is due. Instead, agencies should begin to work on their FY2024 SBR, MBE Annual Reports that are due on or before September 30th and FY2024 VSBE Annual Reports that are due on or before October 1st. Annual Report Templates will be in the MBE Reporting Toolkit, VSBE Reporting Toolkit, and SBR Reporting Toolkit, by July 1st.
GOSBA Quarterly Compliance Calls:
June 6, 2024, 10am - 12pm
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