(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. (2) 'Nonresident bidder' means a bidder whose principal office is outside the State. (3) 'Preference' includes: (i) a percentage preference; (ii) an employee residency requirement; or (iii) any other provision that favors a resident over a nonresident. (4) 'Resident bidder' means a bidder whose principal office is in the State. (b) When a political subdivision or an instrumentality of government in the State uses competitive bidding to award a procurement contract, the political subdivision or instrumentality may give a preference to the resident bidder who submits the lowest responsive bid of any resident bidder if: (1) the resident bidder is a responsible bidder; (2) a responsible nonresident bidder submits the lowest responsive bid of all bidders; and (3) the state in which the nonresident bidder’s principal office is located gives a preference to its residents. (c) A preference under this section shall be identical to the preference that the state in which the nonresident bidder’s principal office is located gives to its residents.
Maryland Legal Code