Lt. Governor Brown Releases the Maryland BRAC Small and Minority Business Opportunities Study
ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 31, 2008) Lt. Governor Brown released the Maryland BRAC Small and Minority Business Opportunities Study today at the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland’s Annual Conference.
The study, commissioned by the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development’s Division of Small Business, identified current level of procurement opportunities available in Maryland’s federal and military installations, and projected procurement increases associated with BRAC.
“Two years ago, the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions tasked our state with a new responsibility. We have taken on an expanded role as a national leader in our homeland defense,” said Lt. Governor Anthony Brown. BRAC will bring 60,000 new jobs and 28,000 new households to Maryland.
“New challenges arise with new responsibility, but also new opportunities, especially for businesses, including small and minority firms that will generate jobs. Maryland is prepared and ready for the single-largest job creation in our state since the end of the Second World War,” said Lt. Governor. Maryland businesses have received $36.9 billion in federal procurement dollars of which 27.6 percent went to small businesses, and out of the 27.6 percent, 18 percent went to women-owned and only 4.8 percent went to minority firms.
The report surveyed current and potential procurement opportunities for small and minority owned businesses in the State of Maryland and found that these businesses are well positioned to increase their procurement activity with federal and military installations in and around Maryland, particularly with Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort G. Meade.
The closure of Fort Monmouth in New Jersey and the move of DISA (Defense Information Systems Agency) from Virginia to Fort Meade, indicate that procurement previously occurring in these areas would present increased opportunities for Maryland small businesses. However, the study also found that these businesses face numerous challenges competing for the contracts and need assistance in overcoming obstacles associated with accessing BRAC related opportunities. Maryland is home to over 450,000 small and minority businesses, and they employ nearly 50 percent of the State’s workforce.
The Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs (GOMA) is one of 10-Cabinet agencies which serve on the Governor’s Subcabinet on BRAC. GOMA, as an extension of its mission to assist minority firms in seeking state procurement opportunities, is the lead agency working to facilitate minority business inclusion in Maryland’s BRAC effort.
“BRAC presents unprecedented opportunity for Maryland’s small and minority owned firms. Through our office working in partnership with other small and minority business resource groups we are working to ensure that Maryland’s minority firms are ready and positioned to take full advantage of BRAC related business coming to Maryland. This study provides invaluable information that will assist small and minority owned firms to plan strategically”, said Luwanda Jenkins, Special Secretary, Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs.
The Small Business and Minority Business Opportunities Study was a collaborative effort between RESI, Towson University, Bowie State University, and the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC); and funded by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. A full copy of the study is available on the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs’ website at www.mdminoritybusiness.com.