News Stories
Sponsored by Earth Etch. Regulatory insight and compliance solutions for today’s energy markets.
Commission Celebrates Utility Supplier Diversity
From Press Release:
The Maryland Public Service Commission held its annual conference today for utility companies to report on their contracts with diverse suppliers. The proceeding reviewed the 2023 diverse supplier procurements, totaling more than $2.2 billion (or 40.7%)—a milestone achievement—by participating companies, which include electricity, natural gas, water, transportation and telecommunication providers. Topping the list was Verizon Maryland with a reported total diverse spend of $550 million, or 50.7%.
The Supplier Diversity Program is a voluntary program in which companies strive to award 25 percent of their total procurement spend to minority-, women-, veteran- (including service-disabled veteran), LGBTQ-owned, and non-profit businesses. This year is also the first year in which companies reported on their spending with businesses in HUB-zones, historically underutilized business zones, as designated by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Overall, the utility companies reported total procurement spending of nearly $5.5 billion on all goods and services in 2023.
The Commission’s annual conference has been renamed the ‘Commissioner Harold Williams Supplier Diversity Conference’ in honor of the former commissioner and champion of the Commission’s supplier diversity program. Commissioner Williams passed away in 2022, after having retired a few years earlier. This year’s hearing also had a specific focus on remembering his legacy and impact to supplier diversity programs both in Maryland and across the country.
Read the full press release here.
