Maryland Procurement

What this guide covers

How the State of Maryland buys — the Board of Public Works (BPW), the eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) portal, the COMAR Title 21 procurement methods, and the dollar thresholds (small procurement, purchasing card) that decide which process applies.

Who it’s for

Engineering leads and program staff working with or inside a Maryland State agency who need to understand the path a purchase has to take.

Disclaimer. Not legal or procurement advice. Maryland thresholds and procedures are set by the State Finance and Procurement (SF&P) Article and COMAR Title 21, and change by statute, regulation, and agency delegation. Verify every figure against COMAR Title 21 and your agency’s procurement office before relying on it.

Figures below verified 2026-05-29 against COMAR (via the Cornell Legal Information Institute mirror), the Maryland Comptroller, and the Board of Public Works.

TL;DR

eMMA (emma.maryland.gov) is the mandatory State procurement and vendor-registration portal. Register there first.

**Small procurement (≤ $100,000):** streamlined process under COMAR 21.05.07, split into three categories (≤$ 5,000; $5,000–$ 50,000; $50,000–$ 100,000). A higher $200,000 ceiling applies only to specific DNR/DGS/DOT construction and capital work.

Corporate Purchasing Card: a State charge card with a $5,000 single-purchase (per-transaction) limit — and you may not split a buy to stay under it.

Board of Public Works (BPW): the Governor, Comptroller, and Treasurer review and approve most State contracts exceeding $200,000.

MBE (29%), SBR, and VSBE (3%) participation goals apply to most solicitations.

Who’s who

Board of Public Works (BPW): Maryland’s three-member contract-approval body — the Governor, the Comptroller, and the State Treasurer. It meets roughly twice a month and has direct review and approval of most State contracts **exceeding $200,000** ([BPW procurement page](https://bpw.maryland.gov/Pages/procurement.aspx)); it also must approve contract modifications greater than$ 50,000. Getting an item “on the BPW agenda” is a real scheduling step with lead time.
Department of General Services (DGS): central procurement authority for many supplies/services; runs eMMA.
Department of Information Technology (DoIT): oversees major IT procurements and the statewide IT master contracts.
Comptroller of Maryland: runs the Corporate Purchasing Card program and pays the bills.
Agency procurement officer: your day-to-day authority. Like the federal CO, this is the person who can actually bind the State — program and engineering staff cannot.

Systems you’ll actually use

eMMA — eMaryland Marketplace Advantage

eMMA is Maryland’s online procurement system, administered by DGS. It replaced the older eMaryland Marketplace (eMM). It is where:

vendors register (required to do business with the State and to be paid),
the State posts solicitations and bid opportunities,
agencies run competitive procurements and manage awards.

If you’re a vendor: register in eMMA before anything else. If you’re an agency: your solicitation almost certainly has to be posted there.

Corporate Purchasing Card (CPC)

A State-issued charge card for small, fast buys, administered through the Comptroller’s General Accounting Division (GAD). The standard card carries a ** $5,000 single-purchase limit** — this is a *per-transaction* cap, **not** a once-a-year allowance (Emergency Response cards are set higher, at$ 25,000). In fact, for a single purchase of ** $5,000 or less a State buyer MUST use the Corporate Purchasing Card** unless the vendor can't accept it; for more than$ 5,000 the card may not be used without specific Comptroller authorization. As with the federal card, splitting a purchase to stay under the limit is prohibited. (Comptroller — Corporate Purchasing Card Program.)

The procurement methods (COMAR Title 21)

Maryland’s procurement methods live in COMAR 21.05. Which one applies is driven largely by dollar value and circumstance:

Method	When it’s used	COMAR
Small Procurement	Total value ≤ $100,000 — streamlined, fewer formalities (see categories below)	COMAR 21.05.07
Competitive Sealed Bidding (IFB)	Clear specs, award to lowest responsive/responsible bidder	COMAR 21.05.02
Competitive Sealed Proposals (RFP)	Award on best value, not just price; technical + price evaluation	COMAR 21.05.03
Sole Source	Only one practicable source; must be justified and documented	COMAR 21.05.05
Emergency / Expedited	Genuine emergency; after-the-fact documentation required	COMAR 21.05.06
Intergovernmental / Cooperative	Buying off another government’s competed contract	COMAR 21.05.13
Master Contracts	Pre-competed statewide vehicles (e.g., IT services)	COMAR 21.05.13

Small-procurement categories (COMAR 21.05.07.04)

Category	Dollar value
Category I	≤ $5,000
Category II	> $5,000 and ≤$ 50,000
Category III	> $50,000 and ≤$ 100,000 (up to $200,000 for DNR capital/maintenance, or DGS/DOT construction)

The small-procurement ceiling is therefore ** $100,000** for most buys — *not*$ 50,000, which is only the boundary between Category II and III. (COMAR 21.05.07.04, Categories.)

Anti-splitting rule. As in federal procurement, you may not divide a single requirement into smaller pieces to avoid a competition requirement or stay under the small-procurement or purchasing-card limit.

How the value picks the path (typical)

Single purchase ≤ $5,000   → Corporate Purchasing Card (must use it, per-txn limit)
≤ $100,000                 → Small Procurement (COMAR 21.05.07), by category
> $100,000                 → Competitive method: IFB (sealed bid) or RFP (proposals)
> $200,000                 → Board of Public Works review and approval

The general rule is that BPW reviews and approves most State contracts exceeding $200,000, but exact delegated-approval thresholds vary by agency delegation and contract type — confirm your agency’s current delegation with its procurement office. Build BPW agenda lead time into the schedule when you’re near it.

Small-business and equity programs

Most Maryland solicitations carry participation goals, set by statute and regulation and updated periodically:

MBE — Minority Business Enterprise: statewide goal of 29% of the dollar value of each agency’s total procurement (prime or subcontract), under COMAR 21.11.03; individual solicitations set sub-goals.
SBR — Small Business Reserve: certain procurements are reserved for registered small businesses.
VSBE — Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise: statewide goal of 3%, raised from 1% by Governor Moore (effective 2024 — Governor’s announcement).

Vendors self-certify/register for these programs through the State; check the current process in eMMA and with the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs (GOSBA).

IT and software specifics

DoIT oversight. Major IT procurements run through or are overseen by the Department of Information Technology, often via statewide IT master contracts. The current vehicle is CATS+ (Consulting and Technical Services+), a multiple-award IDIQ that runs through April 21, 2028 (DoIT CATS+ page).
Ride existing vehicles first. As federally, buying off a competed master contract is faster than a fresh competition and is frequently required.
Accessibility. Maryland has adopted Nonvisual Access (NVA) requirements for IT procurements (Maryland’s IT accessibility law, aligned with Section 508 / WCAG). Require a VPAT/ACR from software vendors. This is a functionality gate that can disqualify a tool regardless of price.
Functionality gates apply. Confirm SSO/SCIM, audit logging, data residency, and accessibility before price comparison — see Tools and Software → Enterprise Functionality.

Tools and Software — what to buy and the functionality gates
Federal Procurement — the federal analog (FAR, GSA, SAM.gov)
Procurement — Overview
eMMA — emma.maryland.gov — registration and solicitations
COMAR Title 21 — State Procurement Regulations, authoritative
Board of Public Works — agenda and approvals

Sources (verified 2026-05-29)

Claim	Source
Small-procurement categories (≤ $5,000 / ≤$ 50,000 / ≤ $100,000; up to$ 200,000 for DNR/DGS/DOT)	COMAR 21.05.07.04 — Categories (Cornell LII)
Small Procurement chapter	COMAR 21.05.07 (Cornell LII)
Corporate Purchasing Card $5,000 single-purchase limit; must-use rule;$ 25,000 emergency cards	Comptroller — Corporate Purchasing Card Program
BPW reviews/approves most contracts > $200,000; modifications >$ 50,000	BPW — Procurement
MBE statewide goal 29%	COMAR 21.11.03 (Cornell LII)
VSBE goal raised from 1% to 3%	Office of Governor Wes Moore — VSBE goal increase
CATS+ current IT master contract (through 2028-04-21)	DoIT — CATS+
eMMA is the State procurement portal	eMaryland Marketplace Advantage

Maryland thresholds change by statute (note the Procurement Reform Act activity in the 2025 session) and agency delegation. Re-verify against COMAR Title 21 and your agency’s procurement office before relying on any figure.