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County staff urge council to fund e‑procurement system after procurement delays
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Summary
County procurement officials told the Government Operations Committee that a $816,170 e‑procurement request (on the reconciliation list) would automate slow manual work, improve ADA compliance, and help sustain recent gains in contracting with local and minority‑owned businesses.
Montgomery County procurement officials asked the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee on April 23 to place a proposed e‑procurement system on the reconciliation list and recommend the Office of Procurement’s FY27 budget to full council.
Council staff reported the County Executive recommended $7,289,479 for the Office of Procurement, a $1,262,723 (21%) increase from the prior approved budget, while staffing remains unchanged at 37.4 FTEs. The packet flags $816,170 for an e‑procurement solution as a reconciliation item because it is a new recurring technology expense.
Dr. Torregas, presenting the packet, pointed to the division that supports small, minority‑ and female‑owned businesses and asked whether those programs are improving. He told the committee the Office of Business Relations and Compliance has “steadily done better,” with record levels of spend: "over 33% of the addressable spend with local businesses" and "more than a quarter of $1,000,000,000 with minority owned businesses." He recommended the reconciliation entry note this is the second year the county executive requested the procurement system and that the packet emphasize compounding inefficiencies.
Director Shetty said long‑running manual processes and limited technology slow the office and departments. He warned the percentage of procurements completed within agreed timelines is projected to fall from 89% in FY24 to 85% in FY26 and said, "We are the only jurisdiction that I'm aware of that is doing procurement without any procurement solution." Shetty added that automation would free staff for higher‑value work and reduce small, recurring costs that add up over time: "We just pay for it in fits and spurts instead of just making this investment in the process."
Committee members thanked procurement staff for equity gains and asked staff to write a clear reconciliation description so colleagues who do not attend committee can assess the request. The committee agreed without objection to recommend the procurement budget to full council and to place the e‑procurement item on the reconciliation list for further deliberation.
Next steps: the committee recommended the procurement budget to full council and instructed staff to include an explanatory reconciliation list entry for the e‑procurement request.
