Committee reviews Procurement budget and places e‑procurement request on reconciliation list

The Government Operations & Fiscal Policy Committee reviewed the County Executive's FY27 recommendation of $7,289,479 for the Office of Procurement and agreed to forward the budget to the full county council while placing the proposed e‑procurement project on the reconciliation list for further consideration.

Dr. Turegus, the committee staff IT advisor, summarized the recommended budget and noted the e‑procurement request was proposed for the second consecutive year and would be treated as an increase placed on the reconciliation list. "Technology is kind of special because it allows our employees to be more productive and our residents to receive better services," he said, urging the committee to weigh cost against productivity gains.

Director Shetty, whose office runs Montgomery County procurement, said staffing will remain stable at 37.4 full‑time equivalents and highlighted recent procurement performance and outreach: "As of the last fiscal year, we spent over 33% of the addressable spend with local businesses, which is an all‑time high percentage," Shetty said, and added that the office recorded an all‑time high spend with minority‑owned firms.

Committee members pressed on a staff‑reported metric showing procurements completed in agreed‑upon time are projected to fall from 89% in FY24 to 85% in FY26. Shetty and staff explained that construction‑related procurements have slowed due to turnover and complexity, not Office of Procurement staffing levels, and that an e‑procurement solution would automate low‑value tasks and act as a "multiplier" for productivity.

The committee recommended forwarding the Procurement operating budget to full council and placed the $816,170 e‑procurement initiative on the reconciliation list with a request for additional explanatory detail to accompany the reconciliation entry.