Maryland officials pitch broad Procurement Reform Act to speed contracting, boost small and veteran firms

Annapolis — Officials from the Maryland Department of General Services and allied state agencies on Tuesday urged the House Health and Government Operations Committee to give a favorable report to House Bill 500, the Procurement Reform Act of 2025, a broad package intended to streamline state purchasing, expand small-business preferences and speed payments to vendors.

Secretary Atif Chaudhry of the Department of General Services asked the committee to back the measure. “I am here today, to humbly request your support for Governor Moore’s legislative proposal, which is the Procurement Reform Act of 2025,” Chaudhry said. He described the bill as a “dense and very technical as well as comprehensive” effort to increase transparency, inclusion and efficiency across state procurement.

The bill would raise the threshold for the small business reserve program from $500,000 to $1 million, eliminate the $50,000 floor that previously limited participation, and create a new veteran-owned small business reserve with a 3% state goal for veteran-owned suppliers. It would also require oral…