Committee presses procurement reforms; small‑business officials highlight payment, training and certification hurdles

Commissioners and procurement staff on March 13, 2025 discussed a set of administrative and legislative changes intended to shorten procurement timelines, improve notification and centralize procurement practices across Miami‑Dade County.

The conversation centered on two committee actions: an amendment to update references within Implementing Order No. 3‑38 (the county’s master procurement implementing order) and an amendment directing the county mayor to include a complete contract with RFP solicitations so that material contract terms are not renegotiated after a selection is made. Both measures were approved unanimously by the four committee members present.

Why it matters: Miami‑Dade’s procurement volume is large and complex. Namata Uppal, identified on the record as the county’s chief procurement officer, told the committee that the procurement office currently manages roughly 1,065 active contracts and 204 pool contracts with a combined portfolio value the office cited at about $12.2 billion. Uppal said the office registers roughly 12,000 vendors and that the county’s annual contract spend is about $2.9 billion.

Uppal described the county’s InForm system as the central repository for contracts and said procurement staff notify department contract managers when contracts are approaching expiration so reprocurement can begin. “For those contracts [managed by…