Olszewski Establishes Blue Ribbon Panel for Procurement Reform

November 25, 2020

Panel Tasked with Modernizing Baltimore County’s Contracting Practices

In his latest action to modernize county government, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski has established a blue ribbon panel for procurement reform, taking a key step towards fulfilling a priority in his administration’s strategic plan.

“Baltimore County has a responsibility to provide residents, businesses, and visitors with high quality services, and reforming our procurement processes will ensure efficient and ethical management of County resources,” Olszewski said. “I’m grateful to the members of this commission for lending their experience and expertise to this critical effort and look forward to continuing our efforts to improve the way we do things in Baltimore County.”

Tasked with evaluating the County’s existing procurement, purchasing and contracting policies, the Commission will make recommendations for making processes more efficient and effective. The Commission will also examine trends in procurement and contracting that impact small, minority-owned and women-owned business enterprises and make recommendations for improvement.

Chaired by attorney Philip M. Andrews, a principal at Kramon & Graham, the Commission is being established amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has required the County to do even more to adopt creative and innovative practices in order to minimize any cuts to the County’s workforce or the services provided.

Members of the panel include:

  • Peta N. Richkus, former Secretary for the Maryland Department of General Services
  • Wade Kach, Baltimore County Councilman
  • Dan Morhaim, former Delegate and Chair of the Government Operations subcommittee
  • Carla Nelson Chambers, Managing Principal for The Nelson Ideation Group, LLC
  • Steve Walsh, former Director of Public Works for Baltimore County Government
  • Philip Andrews, Principal, Kramon & Graham
  • Rick Binetti, Political and Legislative Director for Laborers’ International Union of North America—Baltimore/Washington District Council
  • Peter Placke, Vice President/Senior Estimator for Gray & Son Contractors
  • Scott Phillips, Managing Member of NPS
  • Sheila Dixon, Representative for the Maryland Minority Contractors Association

Managed by the Office of Government Reform and Strategic Initiatives, the Commission will issue an interim report by May 31, 2021, and a final report by November 30, 2021.

This Commission represents the Olszewski administration’s latest effort to reform Baltimore County government. Beginning his term with the creation of a blue ribbon commission on fiscal sustainability, Olszewski has taken unprecedented steps to make Baltimore County Government more transparent and accountable. He has published the County budget online in an open budget platform, and established a data-driven performance management system called BCSTAT, in addition to launching his signature annual budget town hall series.

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