Executive Order Procurement Mandate: Gov. Moore Directs State Advertising Capital to Local Maryland Media Outlets
By Barry O’Connell
Late yesterday, Governor Wes Moore signed a formal Executive Order mandating that Maryland executive branch agencies direct a substantial portion of their annual marketing, public information, and recruitment advertising budgets directly to local, community-based Maryland media organizations.
While statehouse press statements frame the directive around supporting local journalism and civic engagement, state media buyers, advertising agency primes, and agency procurement officers need to examine the operational compliance overhaul now landing on their desks.
The executive order establishes strict reporting mandates for the Department of General Services (DGS) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to track state agency ad spend.
Moving forward, prime marketing contractors holding state-wide outreach and public awareness master contracts will no longer be able to satisfy spending targets purely through national programmatic ad networks or out-of-state social media platforms.
Here is how this executive mandate re-shapes the state’s multi-million-dollar marketing and media procurement pipeline.
🔒 THIS STORY IS FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS 🔒
Subscribe today to unlock the full breakdown—including local media verification rules, prime contractor compliance tracking, and how Maryland-based publishing and media firms can capture direct agency ad allocations under eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA).
