March 2024 Honoree

Tyler Russell
Tyler was given the unenviable task of stepping into what may be the most complex procurement DGS’ Office of State Procurement has seen in its brief existence. The Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) contract is a multi-billion dollar, extremely important contract. This contract will decide how our State workforce, retirees, and eligible dependents receive their pharmacy benefits. Because of recent legislation, PBM must be procured in a novel way, a “Reverse Auction” that has never before been undertaken in Maryland for a service of this scope and complexity. Not only did Tyler have to take over this hyper-complex project just weeks before the procurement was published, but he had to learn the terminology of the pharmaceutical world, which is a dizzyingly confusing industry. Tyler has to lead a team of almost two dozen state stakeholders, consultants, subject matter experts, executive officials, and union representatives to conduct this Reverse Auction. The stakes could not be higher, and Tyler has not shied away from this monumental, high-pressure task.