1. (a) In this section, “Committee” means the Pricing and Selection Committee for Preferred Providers.
2. (b) There is a Pricing and Selection Committee for Preferred Providers.

3. (c) The Committee consists of the following 6 members:

   1. (1) the Secretary of Transportation or a designee;
   2. (2) the Chief Procurement Officer or a designee;
   3. (3) the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services or a designee;
   4. (4) the Assistant Secretary for Vocational Rehabilitation within the State Department of Education or a designee;
   5. (5) the Secretary of Labor or a designee; and
   6. (6) the Special Secretary for the Office of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs or a designee.

4. (d) A member of the Committee:

   1. (1) may not receive compensation; but
   2. (2) is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State Travel Regulations¹ as provided in the State budget.

5. (e)

   1. (1) Blind Industries and Services of Maryland shall provide staff for the Committee.

   2. (2) The staff provided in accordance with paragraph (1) of this subsection shall:

      1. (i) be a blind or a visually impaired associate of Blind Industries and Services of Maryland; and
      2. (ii) complete work related to the duties of the Committee regarding Blind Industries and Services of Maryland under the supervision and direction of the Committee.

6. (f) The Committee shall:

   1. (1) ensure that supplies and services provided by Blind Industries and Services of Maryland or an Employment Works Program community service provider create work opportunities for individuals who have a mental or physical disability, including blindness, for which Blind Industries and Services of Maryland or the Employment Works Program community service provider was established to assist;
   2. (2) set the prices of supplies and services that Blind Industries and Services of Maryland provides to reflect the fair market prices for the supplies and services;

   3. (3) review and verify the prevailing average market prices, as proposed by Maryland Correctional Enterprises:

      1. (i) when changes are made to the pricing of existing supplies and services that are available from Maryland Correctional Enterprises; and
      2. (ii) for new supplies or services that Maryland Correctional Enterprises intends to make available;
   4. (4) establish procedures to govern procurement of supplies, services, and other sales from Employment Works Program community service providers and individual with disability owned businesses;
   5. (5) from the State procurement list, choose appropriate supplies, services, and other sales for Employment Works Program community service providers and individual with disability owned businesses to offer for procurement;
   6. (6) provide that the State procure those supplies, services, and other sales from an Employment Works Program community service provider or an individual with disability owned business;
   7. (7) if supplies, services, or other sales are not available for procurement from a unit of the State government, determine whether supplies, services, or other sales are available from an Employment Works Program community service provider or an individual with disability owned business;
   8. (8) determine the fair market price of supplies, services, and other sales that Employment Works Program community service providers and individual with disability owned businesses provide;
   9. (9) in accordance with market conditions, adjust prices for the supplies, services, and other sales that Employment Works Program community service providers and individual with disability owned businesses provide;
   10. (10) at the request of a community service provider or an individual with disability owned business, review and, if appropriate, change the price of a supply or service; and
   11. (11) review a request submitted from and may grant a waiver to the State or a State-aided or controlled entity in accordance with § 14-103(d)(1) of this subtitle.

7. (g) In addition to the duties specified under subsection (f) of this section, the Committee shall:

   1. (1) establish and periodically review eligibility policies or guidelines for participating community service providers and individual with disability owned businesses;
   2. (2) maintain a current list of community service providers and individual with disability owned businesses;
   3. (3) periodically review and revise its list of community service providers and individual with disability owned businesses; and
   4. (4) send any revised list to the Chief Procurement Officer who shall make the list available to each person responsible for buying supplies or services for the State or a State aided or controlled entity.

Added by Acts 1988, c. 48, § 2, eff. Oct. 1, 1988. Amended by Acts 1994, c. 682, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1994; Acts 2008, c. 36, § 6, eff. April 8, 2008; Acts 2008, c. 574, § 1, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2008, c. 575, § 1, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2008, c. 576, § 1, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2008, c. 577, § 1, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2009, c. 60, § 5, eff. April 14, 2009; Acts 2015, c. 415, § 1, eff. July 1, 2015; Acts 2017, c. 342, § 1, eff. June 1, 2017; Acts 2019, c. 8, § 5; Acts 2022, c. 527, § 1, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2022, c. 528, § 1, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2024, c. 578, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2024; Acts 2025, c. 142, § 1, eff. April 22, 2025; Acts 2025, c. 601, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.

COMAR 23.02.01.01 et seq.