Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of Procurement is to facilitate the use of public funds, in partnership with County departments, to effectively procure goods, services, and construction in an inclusive, transparent, and equitable manner that best serves County residents, businesses, and the public interest.

The Office of Procurement is tasked with preserving the public trust and ensuring the integrity of the County's procurement process. The Office of Procurement ensures compliance with all related laws, regulations, and policies. The Office of Procurement focuses on identifying opportunities for improvement of inter- and intra-departmental purchasing processes and implementation of recognized best practices to increase organizational efficacy, promote transparency, improve accountability, and facilitate compliance. In its interactions with all County departments and agencies, external governmental agencies, members of the business community, and the general public, the Office of Procurement serves as a resource for policy and program initiatives involving public contracting.

Budget Overview

The total approved FY25 Operating Budget for the Office of Procurement is $5,641,088, an increase of $572,482 or 11.29 percent from the FY24 Approved Budget of $5,068,606. Personnel Costs comprise 93.02 percent of the budget for 38 full-time position(s) and one part-time position(s), and a total of 37.40 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 6.98 percent of the FY25 budget.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:

• A Growing Economy
• Effective, Sustainable Government

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable), with multi-program measures displayed at the front of this section and program-specific measures shown with the relevant program. The FY24 estimates reflect funding based on the FY24 approved budget. The FY25 and FY26 figures are performance targets based on the FY25 approved budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY26.

Initiatives

• Initiate the first stage of identifying an eProcurement solution to consolidate various applications used throughout the lifecycle of a contract from sourcing to execution. This solution will incorporate sourcing, contract management, vendor management, and compliance management.

• Develop a contract audit program to review and confirm that all contract actions follow appropriate workflow approvals and County regulations. This program will aid in Procurement's mission to facilitate the use of public funds to efficiently procure goods and services in an inclusive, transparent, and equitable manner.

• Include the apprenticeship panels in the annual Procurement Fair to better position the County as it relates to infrastructure funding. The Office of Procurement hosts an annual fair with approximately 500 plus individuals in attendance. This year the office will be shining a spotlight on the value and importance of apprenticeship programs as it relates to County construction contracting opportunities.

• Develop, through the division of Business Relations and Compliance, an enforcement program of the existing Minority, Female, and Disabled-Owned Business law to be more proactive rather than reactive/complaints-based.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• Implemented a digital solution to address the inefficiencies of conventional, paper-based procurement practices to a more streamlined digitized approach, which resulted in the complete virtualization of County contracting. The County's contracts and all related documentation (including inter-departmental communications, contracting actions, meeting minutes, and sourcing records) were printed and stored in folders and numerous file cabinets within Procurement. This method of managing contracts faced many challenges that were further magnified with the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

• Implemented web-based tools to assist County departments in managing informal solicitations by providing immediate access to County solicitation data which increased transparency, eliminated errors due to manual processes, and improved efficiency of the overall process.

• Implemented a new workflow management tool used by County departments to expedite the receipt and approval of emergency purchases for any dangerous conditions or unforeseen curtailments, diminution, or termination of an essential service that poses an immediate danger to health, life, or property.

• Implemented the first phase of the web-based Contract Review Committee application to improve the efficiency of the overall process, and to maintain compliance with updates to the Open Meetings Act. Additional phases will further improve the process and include reporting features.

Program Descriptions

  Procurement Operations

The core components of this program are to purchase goods, services, and construction required by County departments in the most timely and cost-effective manner possible. Program staff assist departments in the development of procurement strategies and documents to ensure a competitive, transparent, and fair procurement process in accordance with the...

  Procurement Services

The Procurement Services section provides for departmental direction, oversight, and support for the Contract Review Committee, analysis, budget preparation, and monitoring. This section also manages contract scanning activities for documents, contracts, and subsequent contract actions, manages archiving standards, and provides departmental customer service assistance. Additionally, it centrally coordinates departmental training...

  Business Relations and Compliance

The mission of the Division of Business Relations and Compliance (DBRC) is to plan and implement programmatic strategies to expand business opportunities for minority, female, and disabled business owners as well as Montgomery County small businesses. The division administers the County's Wage Requirements and Prevailing Wage programs for service and...