Procurement Compliance Bulletin
3.18.2025
Women-Owned Businesses - Closing The Gap
Female entrepreneurship has been on the rise across the United States:
- Women-owned businesses have grown 114% over the past two decades
- Women own more than 12 million businesses
- Women employ over 10.7 million workers
Eligible Women-Owned businesses join other small, minority, and male veterans as participants in Maryland's Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise (VSBE) and Small Business Reserve (SBR) Programs. These programs make Maryland procurement more equitable and inclusive for eligible businesses. Women-Owned businesses are a part of the landscape that competes for opportunities to sell goods and services to Maryland agencies/units.
During this 2025 legislative Session, the Maryland General Assembly is considering Governor Moore's Procurement Reform Act... "that seeks to modernize the state’s procurement processes to enhance efficiencies, accountability, competition, and small business access to state contracts. In doing so, the bill supports the procurement economy by creating opportunities for small businesses to win state contracts and grow. As the state continues to grow its economy, procurement reform offers a powerful lever to create merit-based pathways to success for its businesses."
Thank you MBE, VSBE, SBR liaisons, and procurement professionals for your efforts at increasing the pool of available businesses that includes Women-Owned businesses to create more competition and better value for Maryland's spend!
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 April 22, 2025 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Please email any topics you would like to have addressed
no later than April 8, 2025
to compliance.gosba@maryland.gov
Topics will include:
- MBE, VSBE and SBR Quarterly Reports (Mandatory)
- 2026 Procurement Forecast
- MBE Ombudsman Update
An invitation will be sent out this week. 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
Thank you to everyone who attended the combined SBR, MBE, and VSBE Liaison training on February 18, 2025. For those who were unable to attend, the slide deck and training video will be available on the GOSBA website in the SBR, MBE and VSBE toolkits. For your convenience, you may download the combined Powerpoint presentation below:
Combined Liaison Training 2.18.2025 PPT
Designated MBE Compliance Manager One-on-One Scheduling
Each MBE Compliance Manager has been assigned to specific participating agencies, to provide more tailored and hands-on assistance. An email was sent out to each MBE liaison on January 28, 2025, a list was provided of each agencies designation.
Below are Karen Reyes and Tiara Randolph's Calendly links to make it easy for you to schedule one-on-one sessions whenever you need guidance or have questions. We look forward to collaborating with you to ensure your success as an MBE liaison.
Karen Reyes Calendly Link
Tiara Randolph Calendly Link
Feel free to reach out via email as well:
Karen Reyes - karen.reyes@maryland.gov
Tiara Randolph - tiara.randolph@maryland.gov
Reporting templates and QTR Compliance Check-In Google Survey can be found in the MBE Reporting Toolkit under the FY2025 Quarterly Reporting dropdown. Be sure to enter the cumulative QTR 3 data for this report (July 1, 2024- March 31, 2025).
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 3rd Quarter reports is April 30, 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.
If you have questions pertaining to the MBE Quarterly Report, feel free to submit them via email or contact your designated MBE Compliance Manager to schedule a meeting.
Karen Reyes Calendly Link
Tiara Randolph Calendly Link
Feel free to reach out via email as well:
Karen Reyes - karen.reyes@maryland.gov
Tiara Randolph - tiara.randolph@maryland.gov
Participating agencies are required to report FY2025 SBR (CSB) quarterly data to GOSBA
within 30 days of the quarter’s closing date. Quarterly reports are cumulative, so for QTR 3, you will be reporting from July 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025 They do not require a signature and are due by April 30, 2025. Please make sure to use the updated template in the toolkit.
- Quarterly reporting is MANDATORY and timely submission of data is critical.
- Participating agencies that fail to submit the required data are identified in GOSBA's statewide quarterly report that is submitted to the Governor, Lt. Governor, Board of Public Works, and Cabinet.
Please submit the SBR Program 3rd Quarter Reports to the SBR Reports mailbox: sbrreports.gosba@maryland.gov.
REMINDER- FY2025 Program Update
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.
To address any questions or concerns about SBR waivers, 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
FY2025 VSBE Q3 Reporting Reminders
As a reminder, all required VSBE participating units are REQUIRED to submit both quarterly reports. These reports do not require a signature and are always due 30 days after the end of the quarter. The reports are cumulative, so for QTR 3, you will be reporting from July 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025. A 'Direct Solicitation' tab has been added for agencies to separate Direct solicitations (Direct Vouchers and Credit Cards) made to just VSBEs from Contract Awards that were issued in each quarter. Please make sure to use the most updated template in the toolkit.
The 2 templates of the VSBE Quarterly Form AND the VSBE Procurement Activity Report that are required in your submission to the vsbereports.gosba@maryland.gov mailbox by April 30th. If both are not received, your submission is incomplete.
Searching for Certified VSBEs
Based on FY24 data, we see it is a best practice to utilize credit cards purchases or direct vouchers awards to certified VSBEs as a way to meet your goals and strive for the 3% spend. Do you know how to search for certified VSBEs? If not, let me know you how! Are your VSBE Liaisons Admin Users in eMMA so they can download searches?
In the last Combined Liaison Training, it was asked to provide a flyer on How to Get Certified as a VSBE. You may use this in your marketing materials.
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.
by Nichelle Johnson
Often when the MBE Ombudsman unit calls, there might be a problem. Although we all work to ensure that the MBE Program is implemented well at the unit level, sometimes issues do arise. However, we want to work with you to be more proactive.
When procurement units are completing important functions such as MBE form reviews, compliance monitoring, or Procurement Review Group (PRG) document preparation, remember that in addition to your MBE Liaison and legal counsel, the MBE Ombudsman unit is here to assist you as well. If you have questions or need to meet with us, just send us an email at mbe.ombudsman@maryland.gov or go to our webpage and click our Contact Us box to let us know when you would like to meet. As Henry Ford said,"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself."
If you would like special training for your unit, reach out to us. We have provided PRG training, liquidated damages training, and compliance training to our procurement unit partners. We are here to serve both you and our small minority and women owned businesses. Let us know how we can help you today!
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Quarterly Compliance Call
Save the Date: April 22, 2025, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
In Person Combined MBE, SBR, VSBE Liaison Training
Save the Date: June 4, 2025, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
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