MHEC Strategic Stewardship Governance & State Plan

The Maryland Higher Education Commission is requesting proposals for strategic consulting, governance assessment, organizational planning, and implementation support services to advance the 2026-2030 Maryland State Plan for Higher Education, with proposals due November 10, 2026 and a pre-proposal conference on October 27, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. This is a Small Business Reserve procurement limited to certified small businesses under Maryland State Finance and Procurement Article 14-501 to 14-505, with a mandatory 10% Minority Business Enterprise subcontract participation goal.

The scope encompasses strategic stewardship and implementation planning, governance assessment, organizational capacity evaluation, policy and statutory authority analysis, strategic plan development, implementation structure design, and performance management frameworks across eight primary tasks. The engagement spans one year from contract execution divided into two phases: Months 1–6 focused on assessment and stakeholder engagement addressing operational stabilization and legislative mandates, and Months 7–12 focused on strategic plan finalization, implementation framework development, and organizational alignment. The contractor must maintain commercial general liability insurance of $1 million combined single limit per occurrence and $3 million annual aggregate, plus workers' compensation insurance of $1 million per occurrence. Place of performance is the contractor's primary office with on-site meetings required at MHEC's Baltimore location at 217 E. Redwood Street.

The total maximum fixed-price contract value is $200,000 for the one-year term with no renewal options. Proposals exceeding this threshold will be deemed non-responsive. Living Wage Law requirements apply; contractors must determine and comply with Tier 1 or Tier 2 wage rates based on service delivery location. Questions are due October 27, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Evaluation prioritizes technical response, proposed staff experience and qualifications in higher education policy, strategic planning, public-sector governance, and legislative and policy analysis, followed by financial proposal evaluation. Travel will not be reimbursed. The contract contains no federal funding.