(a) “Acquisition Office” means the office that is accountable and responsible for the centralized purchasing function for the procurement of all goods and services on behalf of the Commission including but not limited to supplies and material services, architectural and engineering services, construction, construction services, and professional services.

(b) Active Status. An active status indicates that the firm is able to respond to solicitations for their specified primary or secondary North American Industry Codes.

(c) “Authentication code” means the ID and password assigned to a firm by the CBR system.

(d) “Bidder” means a firm submitting a price or proposal in response to an invitation for bid (IFB) or request for proposal (RFP) issued by the Commission.

(e) “CBR expiration” occurs at the end of any 24 consecutive months during which a registered firm fails to either access or update, modify, correct or revise as needed its bidder profile. Failure to access (or update, modify, correct or revise) the bidder profile within the 24 consecutive month period will result in the bidder profile being changed to inactive status and such firm will be unable to receive email notifications of bid opportunities involving the firm’s North American Industry Code(s).

(f) “CBR View Bid Opportunity” means the tab within the CBR website to which the Commission will post all IFBs, RFPs and other solicitations and will include a brief description of the commodity or services required, the designated NAICS code, the name of the acquisition consultant, the closing date and time. In addition, this tab will display all bid tabulation sheets related to the posted solicitation after the closing date.

(g) “Centralized Bidder Registration (CBR)” means an automated web-based system into which all potential bidders, suppliers and vendors that are ready, willing and able to provide goods and/or services to the Commission submit basic contact, demographic and product (or service) information concerning their firms. The CBR system assigns a unique user ID and password to each registrant that allows full access to bid opportunities listed on the CBR “View Bid Opportunity” tab.

(h) “Eligible status” describes the status of a registered firm that may participate and respond to any WSSC solicitation that requires small, local and minority business participation.

(i) “Inactive status” describes the status of a registered firm that is disqualified from responding to any WSSC solicitation because its CBR has expired.

(j) “Ineligible status” describes a registered firm whose MBE status or SLBE status expired (see definitions of “MBE status expiration” and “SLBE status expiration”).

(k) “MBE status expiration” occurs when a registered firm fails to notify the Commission that the certifying agency has timely renewed, extended or reinstated the firm’s MBE certification. A registered firm’s failure to renew or extend its MBE status prior to the expiration date listed on the bidder’s profile (or to obtain reinstatement of any expired certification) and to notify the SLMBE Office accordingly will result in the bidder’s profile being changed to ineligible status; such firms will not be eligible to participate in MBE requirements.

(l) “Minority business enterprise (MBE)” means any legal entity that is organized to engage in commercial transactions, which is at least 51 percent owned and controlled by one or more minority persons, and which has been certified as minority-owned by the Maryland Department of Transportation, Prince George’s County Government Minority Business Development Division, the District of Columbia Office of Small Local Business Development, or any governmental certification agency which substantially duplicates the requirements of the Maryland Department of Transportation.

(m) “North American Industry Code (NAICS)” means a six-digit code identifying the commodity and/or services for which a firm wishes to receive email notifications of bid opportunities from the Commission. The NAICS was developed as the standard for use by federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the collection, analysis, and publication of statistical data related to the business economy of the U.S.

(n) “Primary NAICS” means the NAICS corresponding to the commodity or service that accounted for the greatest revenue during the registered firm’s most recently completed fiscal year.

(o) “Secondary NAICS” means an NAICS, in addition to the primary NAICS, for those commodities or services for which a registered firm may be interested in receiving bid notifications.

(p) “SLBE status expiration” occurs when a registered firm fails to obtain timely renewal, extension or reinstatement of its SLBE status from the Commission. A registered firm’s failure to recertify its SLBE status upon receipt of written notice from the SLMBE Office will result in the bidder’s profile being changed to ineligible status. Such firm will not be eligible to participate in SLBE requirements.

(q) “Small, Local and Minority Business Enterprise (SLMBE) Office” means the office established by Article 29, § 3-109(b)(2), Annotated Code of Maryland.

(r) “Small local business enterprise (SLBE)” means an independently owned and operated business, regardless of race, ethnicity or gender, with a net worth initially defined by the State of Maryland. Located in Montgomery or Prince George’s County or has 25 percent of its employees domiciled in one or both counties.

The criteria for a small business qualifying under the State Small Business Preference Program are as established in regulations adopted by the Department of General Services (DGS) under State Finance and Procurement Article, § 14-203, Annotated Code of Maryland, so that WSSC size standards would not change as the state’s DGS. (Amended during 2019 codification; ACQ 10-01 § II)