Under federal and state guidance, the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) established the Minority/Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (M/DBE) Programs. With these programs, the MAA is making efforts to ensure nondiscrimination in contract awards and administration, and to create a level playing field on which M/DBEs can compete. The MAA Vendor Portal is a web-based portal that supports the mission and vision of Maryland Aviation Administration Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. The MAA portal facilitates and supports:

  • Promotion and collaboration across our vendor community including Prime and Sub Contractors.
  • Management of vendors, contracts, payments and labor compliance to support Minority/Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (M/DBE) Programs
  • Compliance with Federal, State and Local program reporting requirements.
  • Outreach and training efforts to the MAA vendor community.

To be eligible for certification as an MBE firm, a business must be at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more socially-and economically-disadvantaged individuals. Under current State law, an individual is presumed to be socially and economically disadvantaged if that individual belongs to one of the following groups: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, Subcontinent Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Women. Persons who own and control their business but are not members of one of the above groups, also may be eligible for MBE certification if they establish their social and economic disadvantage. Disabled individuals may also apply for MBE certification. A determination of whether a firm meets MBE eligibility criteria is made on a case-by-case basis.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program provides a vehicle for increasing the participation by certified DBE firms in State and local procurements that are funded with assistance from USDOT. USDOT DBE regulations require State and local transportation agencies to establish goals for the participation of DBE firms on USDOT-assisted procurements. Each state and local transportation agency that receives financial assistance from the USDOT is required to establish tri-annual DBE goals and review the scope of anticipated contracts throughout the year. In Maryland, only three transportation business units (TBUs) participate in the DBE program: State Highway Administration (SHA), Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) and Maryland Transit Administration (MTA).

Any firm, whether it is registered on the MAA Vendor portal or not, may participate directly or indirectly in any bid or project proposal.

Once a firm is registered through the MAA Vendor portal, it has access to MAA news, events, training, and potential opportunities with the Maryland Aviation Administration.

All State agencies are required to use eMaryland Marketplace (eMM) to advertise contract opportunities. In order to receive a contract award, a vendor must be registered on eMM. Maryland’s Department of General Services administers eMM, and the eMM web site can be found at https://emma.maryland.gov

Yes. Additional information regarding the requirements and certification procedures for the MBE/DBE Programs may be found in Title 14, Subtitle 3 of the State Finance and Procurement Article of the Maryland Annotated Code, Title 21, Subtitle 11, Chapter 3 of the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR), USDOT regulations 49 CFR Parts 23 and 26, and the most current MBE Program Manual and DBE Program Manual issued by MDOT.

By registering on the MAA Vendor portal you will find valuable information regarding MAA conferences, workshops, seminars, panel discussion and other professional development and business networking events.

In addition, The MDOT Office of Small and Minority Business Policy (OSMBP) maintains a Calendar of Events where you will find valuable information related to conferences, workshops, seminars, panel discussions and a host of other professional development and business networking events. OSMBP also hosts FREE monthly MBE/DBE/SBE Application Assistance Workshops to assist with the certification and application process. Please visit the Application Assistance Workshop page to register.

Once a completed registration is received, it takes an average of 1 to 2 weeks for MAA Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to review the Vendor’s registration application. The most common cause for delay is the submission of an incomplete registration or missing data.

If you have any questions, please email MAABWIVendorPortalHelp@bwiairport.com

There is no cost to register on the MAA Vendor Portal.

PRISM is a “Software as a Service” that is providing the Vendor Portal for the MAA.

Yes, the PRISM Software is providing the Web Portal Application for the MAA Vendor portal. Please follow the instructions in our manual and video posted on the MAA Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion website. Once you have your username and password please login to the https://maa.prismcompliance.com portal.