The Secretary of General Services is the chief executive officer of the Department with responsibility for the Department’s programs, services, and budget. Pursuant to §4-403 and 4-406 of the Annotated Code of Maryland, the Secretary also advises and assists the Board of Public Works and other units of State government in matters which are under the jurisdiction of the Department. The Secretary serves as construction advisor to the State Board of Public Works and the Executive Department, chairs the Maryland Green Buildings Council, the Electricity Deregulation Advisory Committee, and the Government House Trust. The Secretary is also a member of the Priority Places Subcabinet, the Information Technology Board, the Procurement Advisory Council, the Maryland Food Center Authority, the Interagency Council for Public School Construction, the Chesapeake Bay Cabinet, the Hall of Records Commission, and the Maryland Security Council.

The Deputy Secretary advises the Secretary, plans, strategizes, performs special functions, and shares responsibility for management of the Department.

Office Of External Affairs
The Office of External Affairs directs public relations, legislative initiatives, business development, and customer service activities for DGS. The primary goals of this office are to promote DGS, provide legislative direction to the Secretary, and coordinate efforts to ensure that customer needs are met.

Public relations efforts include the development, coordination, and implementation of a comprehensive program for the Department. Activities include proactive media relations, preparation of news releases, publications, speeches, and coordination of special events within the Department and in support of the Office of the Governor and DGS customer agencies.

The Office of External Affairs coordinates departmental policy and provides direction and support to the Secretary in matters relating to all branches of State government. This includes establishing the Department’s legislative agenda and analyzing the impact of proposed legislation; representing the Department’s position to the Governor’s Legislative Office, other agencies, and members of the General Assembly; and coordinating and reviewing mandated reports and studies. Currently, the Office is responsible for 23 mandated reports.

The Office is responsible for the development and assessment of the Managing for Results Initiative, ensuring that DGS’ mission, values, and goals are attained through the implementation of strategic planning, effective policies and procedures, and measurable objectives.

The Office of External Affairs is also responsible for business development and customer service. The DGS Services unit works within the Department to ensure effective coordination of customer agency needs. Customer agencies have a single point-of-contact within DGS to address any of their concerns, allowing DGS to help customer agencies carryout their missions in a more timely and efficient manner.

Emergency Management
This Unit serves as the DGS liaison with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) by acting on behalf of the Secretary in matters involving DGS and departmental resources in the event of a natural disaster or civil emergency. In such an event, DGS provides essential Emergency Support Functions such as engineering services, public works recovery, debris management, and supplemental resource support. The Deputy Secretary is coordinating the development of a DGS Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) which will ensure that in an emergency, we will provide the essential services that our customers and State citizens depend on in a timely and organized manner.

Legal Division
The Legal Division was established in accordance with legislation which requires the Attorney General to “act as the legal advisor to the Department.” At present there are six Assistant Attorneys General who function as “in-house counsel” to the Department and two additional attorneys in the Contract Litigation Unit of the Attorney General’s Office who devote time to DGS litigation and are funded out of Departmental funds on a reimbursable basis to the Attorney General.

Duties of the Legal Division include responsibility for court cases, reviewing and preparing contract documents, and providing both formal and informal legal opinions on a regular basis to the Department’s Divisions.

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