Procurement Compliance Bulletin 1.23.2025

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Procurement Compliance Bulletin

1.22.2025

Happy New Year

New Year, New Resolutions to Achieve

Happy New Year! The new year tends to introduce new resolutions and the opportunity to start afresh, providing an overall reset for you to prepare for the next 12 months ahead. These new resolutions may include exercising, spending more time with family & friends, or changing your typical routine. With any resolutions that you may have created, continue to keep at it. Know that you can achieve it.

The same is true for the goals that your unit created during the start of the fiscal year, within the FY2025 Socioeconomic Program Strategic Plan. Be certain to review your Strategic Plan to measure where your unit currently stands with regards to the projected goals that were established by your team for the socioeconomic programs. If your unit is not on track to reach those goals by the end of the fiscal year, take a moment to reset and re-evaluate your strategy for achieving those goals.

Remember that we have the Ready, Set, Grow Procurement Connections events, in which unit representatives have the opportunity to meet vendors, including those within the SBR, MBE and VSBE Programs. You can always reach out to Mr. Eduardo Hayden (eduardo.hayden@maryland.gov), Outreach Manager, to inquire about an exhibitor table at upcoming events. Also, remember to increase procurement opportunities for these socioeconomic programs. Let them be the first to come to mind when making smaller purchases (i.e. credit card/P-Card spend) and remember them when you are also extending larger solicitation opportunities. Let’s make a resolution for 2025 to set a goal to distribute the largest dollar distribution to SBR, MBE and VSBE vendors— if we believe it, we can achieve it, and this would definitely provide them with some extra cheer throughout the New Year!


GOSBA MBE/SBR/VSBE Combined (Virtual) Liaison Training

February 18, 2025 - 9:00 am - 1:00 pm 

This training will cover a broad range of topics that impact many areas of each program. We encourage Program Liaisons and internal stakeholders that participate in any areas of the MBE, VSBE, and SBR programs to attend. This session will be particularly impactful to report preparers and all individuals who help collect and curate data. Training topics will include:

  • Outreach Overview 
  • MBE/VSBE Scorecard
  • Executive Order
  • Program Updates (All programs)
  • Annual Report Findings (All programs)
  • QTR 2 Findings (All programs)
  • Socioeconomic Data Reporting Guidance Live Examples from Annual Reporting

The Zoom link for this Mandatory Training will be sent in a Calendar Invite.  If you do not receive the invitation by tomorrow (1/24), please reach out to us.  Note that you may share the link with your colleagues.   


MBE Program

Welcome MBE Compliance Manager- Tiara Randolph!

Tiara

Tiara Randolph joined GOSBA at the end of December as an MBE Compliance Manager. Tiara has jumped right in and some of you may have already noticed her in the compliance call and one-on-one agency meetings. Tiara brings a wealth of experience from the Office of Minority Business Enterprise where she assisted MBE businesses through the certification process. She will be working hand in hand with Karen Reyes on MBE Program compliance and ensuring accurate and timely reporting. Tiara is innovative and dedicated to the MBE community. Her charisma will bring a fresh new perspective to the current MBE workflows. We look forward to all that she has to contribute!

FY2025 MBE Quarter 2 Reporting 

***UPDATE: MBE QTR PROCUREMENT ACTIVITY REPORT HAS BEEN SLIGHTLY REVISED***
This new template can be found in the MBE Reporting Toolkit under the FY2025 Quarterly Reporting dropdown. Be sure to enter the cumulative QTR 2 data for this report (July 1, 2024- December 31, 2024). A 'Direct Solicitation' tab has been added for agencies to separate direct solicitations (Direct Vouchers and Credit Cards) from Contract Awards that were issued in each quarter. 

Participating units are required to report FY 2025 MBE quarterly data to GOSBA
within 30 days of the quarter’s closing date. The due date for 2nd Quarter reports has been extended to February 5, 2025.

  • Quarterly reporting is MANDATORY and timely submission of the data is critical. The quarterly report will note participating units that fail to submit the required data on time. 
  • Quarterly Reports do not have to be signed.
  • GOSBA will have 15 days to prepare a statewide quarterly report for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, the Board of Public Works, and the Governor’s Cabinet.
  • The MBE QTR reporting requirements have been revised and now includes a template to report procurement contract activity and a Quarterly Compliance Check-In Survey via google form. The new requirements are available in the MBE Reporting Toolkit.

If you have questions pertaining to the MBE Quarterly Report, feel free to submit them via email or contact the MBE Compliance Manager to schedule a meeting. 

                                          Karen Reyes - karen.reyes@maryland.gov


SBR Program

FY2025 SBR Quarterly Reporting Reminder

 

SBR Quarter 2 reports are due January 30th to the sbrreports.gosba@maryland.gov.

Quarterly reporting is MANDATORY and submission of the data is critical. The quarterly report will note participating units that fail to submit the required data on time. 

    • Quarterly Reports do not have to be signed.
    • GOSBA prepares a statewide quarterly report for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, the Board of Public Works, and the Governor’s Cabinet.
    • The SBR QTR reporting requirements and template have been revised. The templates now include the collection of contract awards which will track participating agency's achievement of the Certified Small Business (CSB) participation attainment of 20%. The new requirements are available in the SBR Reporting Toolkit.

If you have questions about the SBR Quarterly Report, feel free to submit them via email or contact the SBR Compliance Manager that works with your agency to schedule a meeting. 

Lisa Mitchell Sennaar lisa.sennaar@maryland.gov or
Tanita Johnson tanita.johnson1@maryland.gov 


As you work toward meeting this new goal, you'll be pleased to know the number of Certified Small Businesses (CSBs) has grown by almost 30% in the past year. There are currently approximately 5,400 CSB vendors in eMMA and the number is growing every day.


SBR Program Updates: 

Per COMAR 21.11.01.06 (A) (2) and EXECUTIVE ORDER 01.01.2024.38

A procurement with a total dollar value between $50,000 and $500,000 shall be designated for the small business reserve program as long as SBR market research indicates that two or more certified small businesses under the SBR program can perform the work or provide the desired goods or services. If the eligible procurement is not being designated as SBR, then the unit must submit the prescribed exemption or request a waiver of SBR designation by sending it to the SBR Waiver mailbox per the Department of General Services (DGS) Office of State Procurement's (OSP) "Guidance and Worksheets that are being updated to reflect the FY 2024 legislation and the EO- https://procurement.maryland.gov/procurement-review-group-prg/


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


VSBE Program

FY2025 VSBE Quarterly Reporting Reminder

***UPDATE VSBE QUARTERLY REPORTING TEMPLATES WERE SLIGHTLY REVISED***
VSBE Compliance Manager has sent an email to all VSBE Liaisons, with the revisions to the Procurement Activity Quarterly Form. These revisions will not require new data points, just updates to the reporting template itself separating the Direct Vouchers and Credit Cards out from Contracts. Be sure to download the new QTR reporting templates, in the VSBE Reporting Toolkit. As a reminder All VSBE participating units, Quarterly reporting is MANDATORY and timely submission of the data is critical.

Deadline for VSBE Quarter 2 reporting requirements are due February 5th to the vsbereports.gosba@maryland.gov mailbox. Please ensure you are submitting both required cumulative forms. 

 

VSBE Goal Increased to 3%

To ensure each participating unit strives towards the VSBE 3% statewide goal, please make sure to implement your action plan based on your submitted strategic plan. Please be sure to share the goal increase across your unit and connect with GOSBA to support and amplify your outreach efforts to the veteran community. Should you like more targeting assistance with identifying VSBEs in the database, please reach out to our VSBE Compliance Manager to set-up a one-on-one.  

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.


From the Desk of the MBE Ombudsman

by Nichelle Johnson MBE Ombudsman

Compliance

The MBE Ombudsman unit would like to thank the procurement units who have already submitted the 2nd Quarter MBE Quarterly Compliance Check-in as requested. This vital tool helps to monitor and improve compliance with the MBE Program specifically but all of the socioeconomic programs overall. Your submission is due by January 30th.

 

We are Excited to Welcome

Two New MBE Ombudsman Compliance Managers!

As we continue to ensure compliance during contractual performance and enhance the overall implementation of the MBE Program, we are ecstatic to have a fully staffed, dedicated team in place to better serve you and our minority and small business community. We are pleased to welcome
our new team members, Shanique Pinder and Catherine Porterfield.

Ombudsman Unit

Pictured (l - r) Shanique Pinder, Tracie Bolden, Nichelle Johnson, and Catherine Porterfield

Shanique Pinder joined GOSBA on December 11th and she has already jumped in with both feet. Shanique brings an extensive background in MBE certification, complemented by a strong skill set in regulatory compliance, investigative procedures, and grant underwriting. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Information Assurance.

Catherine Porterfield is our newest addition, just joining us on January 8th. A respected veteran of the United States Air Force and former business owner, Catherine possesses a strong foundation in investigations, compliance, and risk management,. She holds several degrees, including a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Administration.

As we move further into 2025, the Ombudsman Unit looks to make significant impact through improved policies, compliance measures and training initiatives. We have created an exceptional team who are ready to engage in this important work. Their expertise and dedication will serve as our key assets as we move forward.


Save the Date

SBR/MBE/VSBE Liaison Trainings:

February 18, 2025: 9:00  AM - 1:00 PM