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 County Code and the Procurement Regulations. Program staff also educate vendors about the County's procurement process and procedures. Procurement staff provides County departments with training, assistance and guidance of department contract administrators.

Procurement Specialists develop contract administration procedures, research vendors, review contracts, and recommend revisions to County procurement policies and regulations to streamline the procurement process. In addition, testimony and other evidence regarding claims and contract disputes with contractors are reviewed to resolve issues. Procurement staff participates with local, State, and national procurement purchasing associations to promote and teach continuingprocurement education and learning credits, latest industry trends, latest source selection methods, and cooperative purchases. Staff also participates in and leads recognized professional purchasing organizations at the local, State, and national levels.

The Information Technology (IT) staff provides support to develop and maintain information systems for the department's business operations. This includes purchase and maintenance of IT equipment, service and support for major end-use systems on a Countywide basis. IT management of applications, databases, systems, and department website design and maintenance is included in this program as well as coordination with the County's Department of Technology Services.

The mission of the Division of Business Relations and Compliance (BRC) is to plan and implement programmatic strategies to expandbusiness opportunities for minority, female and disabled business owners as well as Montgomery County small businesses. The officeadministers the County's Wage Requirements and Prevailing Wage programs for service and construction contracts. The DBRC is responsiblefor ensuring County government contracting compliance with the socioeconomic laws, programs, and policies of the County.

• Minority, Female and Disabled Persons (MFD): the MFD program objectives focus on ensuring that contracts awarded by the County include equitable participation by certified minority, female, or disabled-owned businesses. The program identifies MFD firms, encourages and coordinates their participation in the procurement process through community outreach and internal seminars, and monitors contracts subject to MFD participation to ensure compliance.
• Local Small Business Reserve Program (LSBRP): the Local Small Business Reserve Program ensures that County departments award a minimum of 20 percent of total eligible contract dollars for goods, services, or construction to registered local small businesses. The program certifies local small businesses that meet the requirements set by law, assists County departments in identifying contracting opportunities and solicitations appropriate for LSBRP competition, and provides training and networking to help local small businesses compete with businesses of similar size and resources for County contracts to strengthen the local small business sector.
• Wage Requirements Law (WRL): The Wage Requirements Law program ensures that County contractors and subcontractors pay employees a "living wage" in compliance with the annually adjusted rate established by the Maryland State Commissioner of Labor and Industry for the Montgomery County region.
• Prevailing Wage Law (PWL): The Prevailing Wage Law is patterned after the Federal Davis-Bacon and State of Maryland's prevailing wage laws. It requires the local prevailing wage be paid to workers on County financed construction contracts. The prevailing wage rate is a rate paid for comparable work in the private sector within the County. The rates are calculated by the State, based on surveys of construction company employers.

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 and tracking including national certifications and re-certification, expenditure control, escrow management, human resources activities, management of departmental knowledge based articles and 311 service requests, and coordination of interpreter services for departmental activities or customer needs.