About
The Office of Procurement & Contract Administration provides centralized procurement services on behalf of all County departments, with integrity and transparency, through innovative and cost-effective best practices. We promote responsible stewardship of County resources and ethical use of taxpayer dollars, encourage participation from diverse and local businesses, and foster broad competition through a fair and open process to obtain the highest quality goods and services.
Search and utilize firms from our Local Business Initiative Directory
Please click here and when searching the database, select Local Business Enterprise (LBE) as the certification type in your search criteria.
Virtual Training Classes
The Office of Procurement and Contract Administration provides educational resources to advise and guide Local Howard County based businesses and EBO (Minority, Women-owned and Disabled-owned Business Enterprises) through the procurement process, vendor registration and how to get certified in the Howard County Local Business Initiative and Equal Business Opportunity (EBO) Programs.
Upcoming Classes
Topic: Howard County Procurement Process, Vendor Registration, Equal Business Opportunity (EBO) Program, and Local Business Initiative
Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2026 @ 11:00 am
For more information click here.
Resources & Programs
Check the listing of current contracts by clicking below. Call us for more information about an existing contract.
Check for bid opportunities by clicking on Current Solicitations below. Information is posted on this site as quickly as it becomes available, so check often!
The County is utilizing PlanetBids, an electronic bidding system, for most of our procurements. PlanetBids (PB System) is provided at no cost to all interested businesses. The PB System allows suppliers to self-register online and to receive automated email notifications of solicitations for goods and services pertinent to their business. The PB system allows registered suppliers to download bid documents, receive addenda, submit electronic bids, and view bid results. You will find more information on the PB System by clicking on Current Solicitations. The County will post solicitations on the County's website, PlanetBids, or both. Suppliers are encouraged to check the County's Current Solicitations regularly and to register on PlanetBids.
NOTE: Selecting the accessibility mode will ensure that users of assistive technologies have full and equal access to all aspects of the website.
If you have any difficulty registering online or require reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Technical Support personnel by clicking the Help link or by contacting PlanetBids.
The Howard County Expenditures database is a public database which allows citizens of Howard County and visitors to search and view summary information on payments made to vendors that received $30,000 or more for the respective fiscal year. Information is currently available for Fiscal Years 2010 to current.
The Office of Procurement and Contract Administration provides educational resources to advise and guide Local Howard County based businesses and EBO (Minority, Women-owned and Disabled-owned Business Enterprises) through the procurement process, vendor registration and how to get certified in the Howard County Local Business Initiative and Equal Business Opportunity (EBO) Programs.
The Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise Program (VOBE) is designed to foster participation by Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises in the County’s procurement process.
The program includes an overall aspirational goal of 1% of the County’s total dollar value of procurement contracts to be made directly or indirectly with Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises.
For the purposes of the Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise Program, a Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise (VOBE) is defined as a business enterprise that is certified in the Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) Program as a Veteran-Owned Small Business by the US Small Business Administration (SBA).
To qualify, Veteran-Owned businesses must be certified by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). For more information on certification please visit https://veterans.certify.sba.gov
To search the database of certified Veteran-Owned businesses please visit https://veterans.certify.sba.gov
Howard County is committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive business environment. Recognizing an active program of research, technical assistance, and procurement from Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs), Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) and Disabled Business Enterprises (DBEs) is essential to the realization of progressive social and economic development goals, Howard County encourages and promotes participation by MBEs, WBEs and DBEs in its procurement process through the Equal Business Opportunity (EBO) Program.
The EBO program regulates that 20% of the County's total dollar amount of all contracts be awarded directly to Minority, Woman-owned and Disabled-owned Business Enterprises (MBE/WBE/DBE) firms during each fiscal year. This includes consulting services, construction, professional services, and other procurements for goods and services. The Program also sets a subcontracting goal of 15% when a contract value is $50,000 or more annually. Certified MBE/WBE/DBE prime contractors can count 100% of the work they self-perform on contracts with EBO subcontracting goals.
Requests for assistance with this program should be directed to Mahesh Sabnani, EBO Coordinator, by phone at (410) 313-3694, or by email at msabnani@howardcountymd.gov.
Local businesses in Howard County are a pivotal driver in our local economy. Whenever possible, Howard County procurement dollars should be spent to support the local businesses that serve as a strong pillar in our economy.
Howard County is committed to creating a competitive and balanced economic environment within the County by ensuring community growth through the Local Business Initiative. The goal of the Local Business Initiative is to promote the growth and success of local businesses and to increase the percentage of County procurement dollars flowing to local businesses. Under the Local Business Initiative, County Departments and agencies are encouraged to select local businesses when purchasing goods or services that are under $10,000.00.
For purposes of the Local Business Initiative, a local business is defined as an applicant that maintains its principal place of business in Howard County. If your business meets this eligibility criterion, and you are interested in certifying with Howard County as a local business, please complete the Local Business Initiative Certification Application using the link below.
Local Business Initiative Certification Application and Directory
In order to fill out the Local Business Initiative Certification Application, or to search our database of certified vendors please click here. When searching the database, select Local Business Enterprise (LBE) as the certification type in your search criteria.
Surplus property is sold through online auctions at Public Surplus. To view all items currently for sale, click here. All items are sold to the highest bidder and payment is made via PayPal.
For further information, please call the Office of Procurement and Contract Administration at 410-313-6370 or email purchasing@howardcountymd.gov.
Disclaimer: All equipment and items are sold "as is", "where is", and "with all faults, if any" as detailed in the Terms and Conditions listed on the auction website. Online auction services are provided through contract with Public Surplus, LLC.
* Please visit our ebidding portal PlanetBids to view bid results from electronic bids.
This guide is designed to assist you in understanding the basic procedures of centralized purchasing in Howard County Government. Howard County welcomes vendors to do business with the County and will provide any assistance and information that may help you to better understand our procedures.
Mission Statement
Our office provides centralized procurement services on behalf of all county departments, with integrity and transparency, through innovative and cost-effective best practices. We promote responsible stewardship of county resources and ethical use of taxpayer dollars, encourage participation from diverse and local businesses, and foster broad competition through a fair and open process to obtain the highest quality goods and services.
Vision Statement
The Office of Procurement and Contract Administration shall foster a diverse workforce and vendor community, motivated by integrity and teamwork, to procure goods and services that increase operational readiness, embody innovative technology, enhance mission performance and drive efficiency and effectiveness.
Values
- Implement the purchasing policies set out in Article VIII, Centralized Purchasing, of the Howard County Charter and Subtitle 1, Purchasing, of the Howard County Code.
- Make the procurement procedures in the user agencies as consistent as possible.
- Instill the public’s confidence in the County’s procurement procedures.
- Ensure the fair and equitable treatment of all persons dealing with the County and promote maximum competition.
- Provide increased economy in County procurement activities and maximize the purchasing value of County funds.
- Safeguard the high quality and integrity of public procurement.
- Ensure that expenditures of public funds (including State and Federal funds) comply with the terms and conditions of the funding source. If State or Federal requirements conflict with the provisions of this manual, nothing in the manual shall prevent the County from complying with the terms and conditions of the State or Federal requirements.
Awards
The Office of Procurement and Contract Administration holds re-accreditation from the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. through June 2027. Accreditation requires the Office of Procurement to evaluate its performance in areas such as authority, cooperative purchasing, audit, property management, standardization, automation and e-commerce every three years.
As part of the ongoing accreditation process, the Office of Procurement and Contract Administration was again awarded the National Procurement Institute’s Achievement of Excellence in Procurement award for the fourteenth consecutive year in 2025 by the National Procurement Institute (NPI). The award is earned by demonstrating excellence in innovation, professionalism, productivity, e-procurement and leadership attributes of the procurement organization.
News
Find the latest news updates.
Disclaimer
In preparing this material, every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is correct. The information is being provided as a public service and Howard County assumes no liability for any inaccuracies that it may contain.
