Board of Public Works Role in State Procurement
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The Board of Public Works comprises the Governor, Treasurer, and Comptroller. The Board controls procurement by most State agencies (including the direct review and approval of most State contracts exceeding $200,000); adopts regulations (COMAR Title 21); sets procurement policy; and establishes internal operational procedures. Board operations are directed by the Executive Secretary with the Board’s Procurement Advisor and General Counsel serving statutorily delineated duties.
Four primary procurement units, subject to the authority of the Board of Public Works, have jurisdiction over State procurement as follows:
- State Treasurer may engage in or control procurement of: banking, financial services, insurance, and insurance services.
- Department of General Services may engage in or control procurement of: real property leases, commodities and supplies, services, construction and construction-related services, leases of motor vehicles, information processing equipment and associated services, telecommunications equipment, systems, or services, and architectural and engineering services.
- Department of Transportation and the Maryland Transportation Authority may engage in procurement of: Transportation-related construction and construction services, transportation-related architectural and engineering services, rolling stock and other property peculiar to a transit system, and supplies and services for aeronautics-related activities.
- Maryland Port Commission may engage in procurement of: supplies and services for port-related activities, construction and construction-related services for a port facility, port-related architectural and engineering services, and leases of real property for port-related activities unless lease payments are from the General Fund.
Procurement Improvement Council
The General Assembly established the twelve-member Procurement Improvement Council to provide a forum for discussion of procurement issues and problems. The members consist of the State Treasurer, the Secretaries of the Governor's Office of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs, Transportation, Budget and Management, Information Technology, and General Services, the Chancellor of the University System, the Procurement Advisor, the Director of the Governor's Office of Performance Improvement, one local government member, and two public members. The Council advises the Board of Public Works on the procurement process and makes recommendations for improving State procurements. The Council meets at least quarterly each year.