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Selling to the State of Maryland

Purchasing portal, certifications and where to get help

How a company registers as a supplier with the State of Maryland, the state's certification programs and drone programs, and where to get help in Maryland, with the official sources. Federal registrations such as SAM.gov are in the federal guides.

Purchasing portal

eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA)

How to register

  1. Have the organization's Tax Identification Number ready. Registration on eMMA (eMaryland Marketplace Advantage) is free, according to Maryland's procurement site.
  2. Go to https://emma.maryland.gov/ and click "New Vendor? Register Now" under the LOGIN box.
  3. Enter the company information: legal name, any DBA (doing business as) name, tax ID type (EIN, SSN or foreign tax ID), federal tax ID (numbers only), organization type and tax country.
  4. Enter the general business address and main phone number.
  5. Answer the State Programs questions for Small Business Reserve (SBR), Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise (VSBE) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). The State's guide tells all vendors to answer "No" for SBR and VSBE at first, then choose whether to start those certifications. Answer "Yes" for MBE only if the Maryland Department of Transportation already certified the company, and enter the certification number.
  6. Answer the Federal Programs questions for DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise), SBE (Small Business Enterprise) and ACDBE (Airport Concessions DBE), and enter any certification numbers.
  7. Enter the contact person. This email address becomes the sign-in ID. The password needs at least 12 characters, with an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, a number and a special character.
  8. Choose UNSPSC (United Nations Standard Products and Services Code) product and service codes. eMMA emails the company about opportunities that match these codes.
  9. Pick the Maryland counties the company serves (or all of Maryland), then click Register.
  10. For help, email the eMMA helpdesk at emma.helpdesk@maryland.gov.

State certifications

  • Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Office of Minority Business Enterprise (OMBE) certifies; the Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs (GOSBA) oversees the programSocially and economically disadvantaged small business owners. The statewide goal is 29% across participating agencies. Maryland's procurement site says only certified MBEs can be counted for MBE subcontracting opportunities. Apply online at https://marylandmdbe.mdbecert.com/. MDOT says the state MBE program did not change under the October 2025 federal DBE rule.
  • Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Airport Concessions DBE (ACDBE) and Small Business Enterprise (SBE)Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Office of Minority Business EnterpriseDBE and ACDBE are federal transportation programs for firms owned by socially and economically disadvantaged people. MDOT says the USDOT Interim Final Rule effective October 3, 2025 removed race- and sex-based presumptions of disadvantage, so current DBEs and ACDBEs, and new applicants, must show disadvantage based on their own experiences. All current certifications are being reevaluated, and DBE and ACDBE goals on active contracts will not be enforced until that is done. Apply through the MDOT Certification Management System: https://marylandmdbe.mdbecert.com/
  • Small Business Reserve (SBR) Program / Certified Small Business (CSB)Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs (GOSBA), through eMMASmall businesses under GOSBA size limits based on employees and average gross sales over the most recent three fiscal years (for example, wholesale: 50 employees and $4 million; retail: 25 employees and $3 million; construction: 50 employees and $7 million; manufacturing and services have their own limits). Register in eMMA, then complete the CSB (Certified Small Business) application there. GOSBA says there is no cost. Beginning August 29, 2025, certifications are valid for three years. GOSBA says SBR-designated procurements can be awarded only to certified small businesses, and the related Small Business Preference is a price preference of no more than 5% (7% for veteran-owned and 8% for disabled-veteran-owned small businesses), or the percentage set in the solicitation.
  • Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise (VSBE)Governor's Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs (GOSBA), through eMMABusinesses that meet SBA size standards (13 CFR 121.201) and are at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more veterans. Step 1: register in eMMA. Step 2: verify veteran status, either with the state VSBE Veteran Verification Form sent to the Maryland Department of Veterans & Military Families or through SBA's Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert): https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/. Step 3: complete the VSBE application in eMMA. No cost. Renew every three years (effective September 1, 2025). The state goal is at least 3% of procurement contract dollars.

Drone programs

  • UMD UAS Research and Operations Center (UROC)University of Maryland, A. James Clark School of Engineering (Department of Aerospace Engineering)Formerly the University of Maryland UAS Test Site (renamed October 20, 2022), headquartered at St. Mary's County Regional Airport in California, Maryland. UMD says UROC supports research that uses UAS, works with public and private entities on custom UAS missions, and, with access to restricted military airspace and status as a public entity, can partner to conduct operations beyond the limits of FAA Part 107. Its site has a Research Flight Request Form. UMD says the center has partnered with DHS, NASA, NOAA, the Army Research Laboratory, DARPA and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division.

Where to get help in Maryland

The federal guides

  • Where to startThe order: the basics, codes and size, SAM.gov, certifications, drone rules, documents, where to sell, and free and low-cost help.
  • SAM.gov registrationThe federal government's free registration for companies that want federal contracts: the Unique Entity ID, the CAGE code and the yearly renewal.
  • Codes and profilesNAICS and PSC codes, SBA size standards, CAGE and NCAGE codes, and the SBA Small Business Search profile buyers search.
  • SBA certificationsThe SBA's 8(a), HUBZone, women-owned (WOSB and EDWOSB) and veteran-owned (VetCert) programs: who each is for and how to apply.
  • Drone complianceThe rules for selling drones to government and flying them: NDAA and the American Security Drone Act, Blue UAS, the FCC, FAA Part 107, ITAR, EAR and CMMC.
  • Documents to prepareWhat government buyers, SBA lenders, SBIR and STTR programs and investors ask to see.
  • Selling to federal buyersWhere federal contracts, subcontracts and research funding are posted: SAM.gov, primes, the GSA schedule, SBIR and STTR, DIU, AFWERX, the Army, the Navy, SOFWERX and DHS.
  • Utilities and public buyersUtilities, HUD-funded agencies, state transportation departments, cities and counties, and cooperative contracts such as Sourcewell and NASPO ValuePoint.
  • Free and low-cost helpAPEX Accelerators, SBDCs, SBA district offices, SCORE, veterans' and women's business centers, MEP centers and agency small business offices.

Official sources

Last checked September 25, 2026. Rules, fees and programs change; the official sources are where to confirm them before applying or spending money.

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