Procurement Compliance Bulletin
8.29.2024
August marks the 20th anniversary of National Black Business Month! According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than three million companies owned by African Americans and they are growing in all sectors. This increase in entrepreneurship with Black business owners represents sales of over $217 billion, per the Black Ownership Statistics provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy. In addition, according to a Pew Research Center article (which focused only on the employer firms), A Look at Black-owned Businesses in the U.S., “Black majority-owned businesses made up the greatest share of all classifiable firms in the District of Columbia (15%), Georgia and Maryland (8% each)”. Go Maryland for being in a top spot!
Some of the black-owned businesses in Maryland are participants within the SBR, MBE and VSBE Programs. During this Black Business Month, it is crucial to take the time to offer opportunities and provide support to our Black-owned businesses, both professionally and personally — and share the love with other minority-owned businesses as well. Continue this trend year-round. You can check out some of these businesses by visiting the following websites: Visit Baltimore (Shop Baltimore’s Black-owned Businesses) and the MDOT Directory of Certified Firms (select “Search Directory of Certified Firms”).
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August SBR Liaison Training
Thank you to everyone who attended the combined SBR Liaison training on August 8, 2024. For those who were unable to attend, the slide deck and training video will be available on the GOSBA website in the SBR Reporting Toolkit.
FY2024 Annual Reporting
The FY2024 annual reporting period commenced on July 1, 2024. Annual reports are due to GOSBA on September 30 and should contain data from July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024.
Please make sure to use the latest template instructions in the SBR Reporting Toolkit.
To address any questions or concerns about SBR reporting, certification, outreach, or training assistance, please email your SBR Compliance Manager to schedule a meeting
Lisa Mitchell Sennaar - lisa.sennaar@maryland.gov
Tanita Johnson - tanita.johnson1@maryland.gov
FY2024 Annual Reporting
The FY2024 annual reporting period commenced on July 1, 2024. Annual reports are due to GOSBA on September 30 and should contain data from July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024.
The MBE Annual Report instructions and template are available in the MBE Reporting Toolkit .
If you have questions pertaining to the MBE Annual Report, feel free to submit them via email or contact MBE Compliance Manager to schedule a meeting.
Karen Reyes - karen.reyes@maryland.gov
The House Appropriations Committee 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 participating unit. GOSBA is conducting the surveys in collaboration with the Department of General Services Office of State Procurement. A report is due to the Committee in December.
Agency MBE Participation Attainment Survey
The Agency MBE Participation Attainment Survey launched on July 1, 2024.
Agency Liaison Survey
- A new Agency Liaison Survey will launch on or before November 1, 2024.
- The survey will close on November 15, 2024.
- This survey is collecting data about agency liaison vacancies and the duties of MBE and SBR liaisons.
Submission of these surveys are required and agencies who fail to submit the requested data by the due date will be reported as non-responsive to the Committee. No extension can be granted.
Questions about the surveys may be directed to MBE Compliance Manager.
Karen Reyes - karen.reyes@maryland.gov
FY2024 VSBE Annual Reporting
VSBE Program reporting requirements have been expanded. Please make sure all appropriate team members are engaged in gathering the necessary information to complete the annual VSBE data requirements. The reporting manuals, and supplemental reporting guidance have been updated in the VSBE Toolkit to help guide report preparers.
NEW FY2025 VSBE Quarterly Reporting
VSBE Quarterly templates were sent to all the VSBE Liaisons after the July VSBE Liaison Training. These templates have also been updated to the VSBE Toolkit. This data collection for Quarter 1 is July 1, 2024 - October 1, 2024 and is cumulative.
To address any questions or concerns about VSBE certification, outreach, training, or reporting, please contact the VSBE Compliance Manager.
Danielle Davis - danielle.davis2@maryland.gov.
The FY2025 Procurement Forecast was due on June 30th. We will be sending out notifications to the unit heads that have not submitted these reports.
If you have not turned in these reports, please do so as soon as possible. Templates are located in the SBR , MBE, and VSBE toolkits on our website.
Questions about the Procurement Forecast should be directed to
Lisa Mitchell Sennaar at lisa.sennaar@maryland.gov
Upcoming Compliance Call
GOSBA hosts a compliance call each quarter to address issues impacting how the SBR, MBE, and VSBE 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.
The next Compliance Call is September 17 from 10 am - Noon. Topics will include:
- Annual Reporting & Quarter
- MBE Survey
- Procurement Forecast
Please email topics you would like to have addressed
no later than September 10, 2024
to compliance.gosba@maryland.gov.
Check your calendar for this invitation. 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
by Nichelle Johnson MBE Ombudsman
Recently the Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs notified procurement units of several survey requests and new reporting requirements. All of this is evidence that what YOU have to say is very important and is crucial to the work we do. The more we understand how you do your job and process your work, the better we can work together. Additionally, reporting data for the state's three socioeconomic procurement programs in an efficient and transparent way is essential. Thank you to all of the units who contributed valuable information to the recent liquidated damages survey.
Data requirements coming up that are specific to the MBE Ombudsman unit include:
Enchanced Contract Compliance Monitoring
Submitted Annual Contract Compliance Assessments will be reviewed and procurement units may be contacted to further discuss contract compliance issues in an effort to identify and understand policy gaps and trends, and to formulate best practices.
Quarterly Compliance Check-In
Procurement units will be required to affirm that the agency is meeting compliance requirements such as the use of liquidated damages provisions, and the submission of required documentation to GOSBA for PRG reviews, waiver determinations, and MBE Form amendments.
As we move further into the fiscal year, I challenge each of you to look at data requests as an opportunity to help us understand what you do and how you do it in a deeper and more meaningful way. We look to use any information you provide to us to improve the integration of procurement and the Socioeconomic programs.
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Next GOSBA Quarterly Compliance Call:
September 17, 2024, 10am
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