The Office of the Baltimore City Comptroller is accepting public comments on proposed amendments to certain provisions of the City’s Procurement Regulations. The current Procurement Regulations were enacted in 2019 under the authority granted by Article VI, Section 11 of the Baltimore City Charter.

The proposed amendments to the Procurement Regulations would affect the process by which the Board of Estimates receives and opens bid submissions and publicizes the results of bid openings.  The overall goal of these changes is to modernize and streamline the bid opening process.  A summary of the proposed amendments is as follows:

• authorize bid submissions and issuance of receipts for bids using an automated system;
• require a bidder to mark any information believed to be confidential as such in a response to a bid solicitation;
• grant the Board greater discretion in setting the due dates and times for bid submissions;
• authorize the Board to record and post bid results electronically;
• replace obsolete requirements relating to the physical receipt of bid documents;
• allow the posting of bidders’ submission documents online, subject to certain exceptions;
• require the use of electronic signatures on bid documents; and
• identify the characteristics of responsible and responsive responders.

The public comment period will last from April 26, 2022 until May 26, 2022.  The proposed regulations will take effect when they are approved in final form by a majority vote of the Board at a regular meeting.

The full text of the proposed Regulations can be found online at the Comptroller’s website and at the Department of Law’s website.

Comments may be submitted online, by emailing kc.kelleher@baltimorecity.gov, or mailing comments to:

Office of the Comptroller
100 N. Holliday Street
City Hall, Room 204
Baltimore, MD 21202

Comments will be accepted through May 26, 2022.