The State of Maryland Small Business Reserve Program is committed to the growth and success of small businesses. A small business in the state of Maryland is a business, other than a broker, that meets the following criteria:

• The business is independently owned and operated

• The business is not a subsidiary of another business

• The business is not dominant in its field of operation

• The wholesale operations of the business did not employ more than 50 persons, and the gross sales of the business did not exceed an average of $2,000,000 in its most recently completed three fiscal years

• The retail operations of the business did not employ more than 25 persons, and the gross sales of the business did not exceed an average of $2,000,000 in its most recently completed three fiscal years

• The manufacturing operations of the business did not employ more than 100 persons, and the gross sales of the business did not exceed an average of $2,000,000 in its most recently completed three fiscal years

• The service operations of the business did not employ more than 100 persons, and the gross sales of the business did not exceed an average of $2,000,000 in its most recently completed three fiscal years

• The construction operations of the business did not employ more than 50 persons, and the gross sales of the business did not exceed an average of $7,000,000 in its most recently completed three fiscal years.

Note: If a business has not existed for three years, the gross sales average is computed for the period of the business’s existence. For newly-formed businesses, the determination will be based upon employment levels and projected gross sales.

Small business will be able to bid for State contracts without competing with larger, more established companies. The designated agencies and departments below will be required to award a minimum of 10 percent of their units’ total dollar value of goods, supplies, services, maintenance, construction, construction-related, architectural service and engineering service contracts to small businesses:
• Department of Budget and Management
• Department of Business and Economic Development
• Department of Education
• Department of the Environment
• Department of General Services
• Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• Department of Housing and Community Development
• Department of Human Resources
• Department of Juvenile Services
• Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation
• Department of Natural Resources
• Department of State Police
• Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services
• Department of Transportation
• Maryland Insurance Administration
• Maryland Port Administration
• Maryland Stadium Authority
• Morgan State University
• State Lottery Agency
• State Retirement Agency
• State Treasurer
• University System of Maryland.

The websites for these 22 agencies can be accessed through http://www.maryland.gov using the Agency Index drop down list.

The reserve does not apply to procurements that are subject to existing preferences for State Use Industries, Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, and sheltered workshops, and to procurements for which this program would represent a violation of federal law. If you are interested in registering with the Small Business Reserve Program, you may apply online at https://www.smallbusinessreserve.maryland.gov/registration/. For more information about the Small Business Reserve Program, please contact:

Small Business Reserve Program
Department of General Services
301 W. Preston Street
Room M-3
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
(410) 767-4270
sbadmin@dgs. state. md. us

The SBDC provides consulting services and training programs to current and prospective small business owners in Maryland. SBDC has a specialized procurement program, the Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP), designed to help small businesses sell products and services to federal, state and local agencies at no cost to small business owners. This program, funded by the Defense Logistics Agency and DBED, assists you to identify, obtain and perform successfully on federal, state and local government contracts. Small businesses (as defined by the SBA) that have a product or service needed by a government agency are welcome to apply for these services.

PTAP’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) provides marketing, contractual and technical assistance to Maryland small business owners who are interested in marketing their products and services to federal, state and local government agencies. PTAC trains businesses on how to do business and solve problems with government agencies through workshops and individual one-on-one counseling sessions. Since 2003, Maryland businesses have continued to receive more than $65 million in government prime and subcontract awards as a direct result of the assistance provided by the center, and approximately 2,000 jobs have been created.

Any small business may receive PTAC services provided it have a product or service that has reasonable expectation of being procured under government contract or purchase order. Owners of businesses eligible for these services may invite consultants or manufacturer’s representatives to attend counseling sessions with them. The cost is free. Below is a list of services that PTAC provides:

• Access to library of federal, state, and local procurement resources
• Assistance in obtaining solicitations, references, specifications, and drawings from buying offices
• Assistance with preparation of bidders mailing list applications
• Assistance with registrations and certifications
• Assistance with solicitation interpretation and bid package preparation
• Automated bid matching from hundreds of buying offices, tailored to individual client specifications
• Help in locating subcontracting opportunities
• Information on federal/state/local procurement actions
• Market research to locate government agencies who buy your product or services
• Pre/post award contract assistance
• Referrals to other assistance activities where appropriate
• Workshops/seminars on a variety of contracting topics.

Below is a list of SBDC contacts.
Western Region
(Serving Garrett, Allegany, Washington, and Frederick Counties)
14701 National Highway, Suite 1
LaVale, MD 21502
(301)687-1008
http://www.sbdc-wmd.com

Central Region
(Serving Baltimore, Baltimore City, Howard and Anne Arundel Counties)
8000 York Road (mailing address)
7801 York Road, Terrace Dale Building (office address)
Towson, MD 21252-0001
(410) 704-5001
http://www.towson.edu/sbdc

Northern Region
(Serving Carroll, Harford and Cecil Counties)
401 Thomas Run Road
Bel Air, MD 21015-1698
(410) 836-4237 ext.7
http://www.harford.edu/sbdc

Capital Region
(Serving Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties)
7100 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 400
College Park, MD 20740
(301)403-0501
http://www.capitalregionsbdc.umd.edu

Southern Region
(Serving Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s and Cecil Counties)
College of Southern Maryland
8730 Mitchell Road
PO Box 910
La Plata, MD 20646-0910
(301)934-7583
http://www.sbdchelp.com

Eastern Region
(Serving Kent, Queen Anne’s, Caroline, Talbot, Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset and
Worchester Counties)
Franklin P. Perdue School of Business
Salisbury University PP171
1101 Camden Avenue
Salisbury, MD 21801
(301)548-4419
http://www.salisbury.edu/community/sbdc

To learn more about SBDC, visit http://www.mdsbdc.umd.edu or contact:
PTAC
7100 Baltimore Avenue
Suite 402
College Park, MD 20740
(301) 403-2740; fax: (301) 403-2743