The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and its partners hosted the Governor’s Minority and Small Business Outreach Summit on November 19 at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor. 

The event aimed to connect minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses with procurement opportunities and key decision-makers in Maryland state agencies.

Tony Bridges, MDOT Assistant Secretary, highlighted the summit’s purpose of providing critical networking opportunities. “It’s a day of networking for small, minority, women and veteran-owned businesses to get an upper hand on how to do procurement within state government. We don’t want to leave anyone behind when it comes to procurement.” said Bridges.

With over $7 billion in state procurement opportunities on the table annually, the summit is expected to attract 800 businesses and dozens of prime contractors. 

Eric Solomon from the Maryland Department of General Services (DGS) shared that in Fiscal Year 2024, $144.8 million in state contracts were awarded to Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs), including $71.6 million to women-owned businesses and $13.7 million to veteran-owned businesses.

Workshops included guidance on navigating the procurement process and exploring opportunities like the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed earlier this year. Attendees engaged in “Meet the Primes,” a session designed to foster partnerships with prime contractors.

Maryland’s certification agency for MBEs, DBEs, ACDBEs, and SBEs, MDOT supports over 9,700 certified minority businesses. As Comptroller Brooke Lierman has explained, the summit plays a role in bolstering economic equity through targeted outreach and resources for certification.