Office of Budget & Finance
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Minority and Women's Business Enterprise Program

Open for Business

The Baltimore County Minority and Women's Business Enterprise Program was established by Executive Order to increase Minority and Women's Business participation in county contracts.  The County seeks to have an overall goal of 15% of the total dollars spent on discretional procurements awarded to and/or performed by MBE and WBE firms.

The program is comprised of the following components:

Procurement Assistance

The County maintains a directory of minority and woman businesses certified by The Maryland Department of Transportation and the City of Baltimore as ready, will and able, for Prime contractors at MWBE Directory. 

The following information is available on Purchasing's main web page:

Solicitations are previewed to determine whether subcontracting is available in an effort to incorporate MBE/WBE participation goals.  While the overall goal is 15%, a specific goal may be set with each discretionary solicitation, based on the level of ready, willing and able certified MBE/WBE firms.  The MBE/WBE participation is an important evaluation criterion in determining a successful offeror in Request for Proposals (RFP).

For Public Work contracts general contractors (and on occasion subcontractors) must be pre-qualified 10 days prior to bid opening. To obtain pre-qualification requirements visit: Architect/Engineers or Construction Contracts Administration.

Prequalification

  • Is not required typically for contracts awarded by the Purchasing Division.  On occasion, a construction bid solicited by the Purchasing Division may require pre-qualification.  If pre-qualification is required it would be noted in the bid package. 
  • Architects, Landscape Architects, Engineers who wish to be considered for work with Baltimore County should refer to the Professional Services Selection for prequalification information.
  • Contractors who wish to bid as general contractors for the construction Contracts Division must be pre-qualified through Baltimore County's Construction Contracts Administration Division.
  • Material suppliers that wish to be participate in procurement for the Construction Contracts Administration must be approved as a Source of Supply.

Training and Outreach

The Office of Budget and Finance, Purchasing Division regularly schedules procurement outreach events to provide an opportunity for vendors to:

  • Gain an Understand of the Purchasing Process
  • Meet the County Buyers and ask questions
  • Learn about Bid Opportunities with the County
  • Review a List of Current Contracts
  • Network with other vendors

Outreach attendance is not required in order to participate in the Baltimore County procurement process.

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Compliance and Monitoring

Baltimore County accepts the MBE/WBE certification from the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the City of Baltimore on all County contracts.

For contracts other than the Department of Public Works Capital Improvement projects, Baltimore County accepts a Minority Participation Affidavit.  The affidavit can be used by a non-certified MBE/WBE business who affirms their status as an MBE/WBE under oath.

Baltimore County Minority and Women Owned Business Executive Order 2009 (PDF)

The Executive Order is the culmination of an extensive evaluation of existing practices and a collaborative effort between contractors, sub-contractors and County purchasing officials. It advocates to develop better reporting methods, target specific industry sectors, foster more effective partnerships and provide assistance in conducting business with the County. These systemic changes are based, in part, on a recently concluded study of minority and women owned businesses and their availability to do work in the County.

MBE/WBE Forms
The forms below are PDF and open to a new window.

Certification

Minority and women owned businesses that wish to become certified for the purpose of meeting the County's MBE/WBE participation goals please contact one of the following:

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Available Contracting Opportunities

  • Purchasing Division  - Purchase include but are not limited to goods, promotional items, janitorial services, facility maintenance, construction, other professional services, telecommunication, information technology and related services, equipment, health and human services.
  • Professional Services Selection (Public Works) – Selection of consultants for architecture, landscape architecture, engineering services.
  • Construction Contracts Administration (Public Works) - Contracts for services in the areas of sanitary sewers, water mains, roads, bridges and storm drains, public buildings and pumping stations.

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Workshops/Seminars

The MBE office holds a series of informational workshops and seminars to assist small and minority owned businesses. Visit our calendar of events for an up-to-date schedule. 

Contact Us

Damon Hughes, Minority Business Enterprise Officer 
400 Washington Avenue
Towson MD 21204

Phone: 410-887-3407
Fax: 410-769-8914
E-mail: dhughes@baltimorecountymd.gov

Carla Tucker, Minority and Small Business Marketing Manager
400 Washington Avenue
Towson MD 21204

Phone:  410-887-3119
Fax:  410-828-7914
E-mail:  ctucker@baltimorecountymd.gov

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Revised November 28, 2011

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