For Immediate Release: Wednesday, February 12, 2020
In the Montgomery County Office of Procurement, new improvements such as the “view scope” feature, the solicitation tracker and the condensed solicitation documents have helped to promote a more transparent procurement process, which appears to have been a factor in increasing bids from the Local Small Businesses (LSB) and Minority, Female and Disabled (MFD) communities. Millions of dollars in contracts were awarded to LSB- and MFD-owned businesses in Fiscal Year 2019. MFD businesses were awarded 24.1 percent ($195,995,706) of the total dollars subject to the MFD program. This is almost a $14 million increase from FY16's 19.93 percent.
This steady growth of minority contract awards and participation can also be attributed to the Local Small Business Reserve Program (LSBRP). More than 50 percent of the LSBRP contract awardees are also MFD vendors. The LSBRP program helps local MFD vendors to gain opportunities to become prime contractors. The LSBRP continued to surpass the 20 percent goal in FY 2019, with spending at $101.6 million (27.4 percent).
“This office is committed to fulfilling the County Executive’s vision for a more equitable and inclusive Montgomery County,” said Ash Shetty, director of the Office of Procurement. “We are continuously working to be more inclusive in the procurement process.”
Other recent changes that promote transparency and inclusion are helping to reach more communities. The monthly Open House allows vendors to meet the procurement team and ask questions. The procurement pocket guide has been translated to both Spanish and Mandarin. The LSBRP and MFD programs encourage participation by conducting outreach activities and providing opportunities for businesses to explore individual and joint contracting opportunities.
The LSBRP ensures that County departments award 20 percent (with specified exceptions) of their procurements for goods, services and construction to registered and certified local, small businesses.
For more information, please visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/pro.
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Release ID: 20-049