Montgomery County reports record funding in contracts for minority-owned businesses
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) – Montgomery County awarded more than $246 million in contracts with certified minority, disability and female-owned businesses in the 2023 fiscal year.
That’s the most since the program for such businesses started more than 25 years ago.
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“This is not just an individual or even a department achievement,” Ash Shetty, director of the Montgomery County Office of Procurement said. “It’s the whole county coming together saying that these things matter to us.”
The $246 million in contracts represent 22.6% of all eligible funds last year. Shetty says their office worked with several organizations to reach this record funding.
“We use them as partners in getting businesses more engaged in opportunities that we have for procurement in Montgomery County,” Shetty said.
One of those organizations is the Maryland Women’s Business Center.
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“We run a quarterly series called ‘How to do Business with Montgomery County,’” Maryland Women’s Business Center managing director, Danette Nguyen, said. “What it covers is an overview of how to register with the county, where entrepreneurs can find solicitations on the Montgomery County website and then we do an overview of the compliance programs.”
Nguyen says the record funding shows that Montgomery County is truly committed to helping businesses excel.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to make sure that the procurement process is equitable across all ethnicities,” she said.
According to Shetty, there’s been an increase in minority-owned businesses securing contracts. He said he is optimistic that momentum will carry over into this year.
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“A big part of it is sharing our success stories,” Shetty said. “So people don’t have this old impression that working with government is this rigged game and you need to know somebody or be somebody to get these contracts.”
The Montgomery County Office of Procurement will host its annual Vendor Connection Summit on Thursday, April 25. This will give businesses the opportunity to network with county departments and contractors.
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