The Office of Business Diversity is committed to inclusiveness in the procurement process, working with small and minority businesses to educate, connect and encourage relationships. We provide viable procurement opportunities, with an overall result of being part of the economic growth in our community. We accomplish this through outreach, education and connecting the purchasing members of the university with businesses that desire to work with UMD.
The University of Maryland is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, always seeking businesses that want to provide excellent services and/or commodities.
The State of Maryland’s Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Program requires state agencies to make every effort to achieve an overall MBE goal of 29% of the total dollar value of their procurement contracts, directly (prime contractors) or indirectly (subcontractors) to certified MBE firms. The goal is to ensure socially and economically disadvantaged small business owners are included in state purchases and contracts.
The State of Maryland’s Small Business Reserve (SBR) Program requires Maryland state agencies, including the University of Maryland, to designate at least 15% of their total purchases each year for competition exclusively among Maryland certified Small Business Enterprises. The overall goal is to increase economic opportunities for small businesses.