Vendors Embrace Howard County's Seamless Online Bidding Experience

Overview

Howard County, Maryland, nestled between Baltimore and Washington, blends rich history with a vibrant, modern community. With more than 110,000 households, the County thrives as a hub for government agencies, higher education institutions, and global industries including defense, healthcare, and technology.

The County’s Office of Procurement & Contract Administration, which is responsible for maintaining approximately 800 annual contracts for goods, services, and capital improvements, began a shift toward modernization and automation in 2016. The vendor community helped drive the change by requesting online bidding capabilities like those offered by surrounding jurisdictions.

Dean Hof, Procurement Manager of the County’s 15-person team procurement team, led the search for a user-friendly, vendor-accessible platform that required no participation fees. In the end, PlanetBids end-to-end procurement solution fit the bill.