BRAC officials said they expect 9,000 to 14,000 jobs to be created in the county as several major new tenants such as the Defense Information Systems Agency and Defense Media Activity and Colocation of Defense/Military Department Adjudication Activities merge into the Army post's operations.

And thousands more jobs also are expected to follow that development and growth.

Difficulty in getting a clear picture of the specific challenges that small business will face once BRAC is complete has been a roadblock for state officials.

"The majority of the information that small businesses have on specific contracting issues is anecdotal. ... Without an accurate and detailed understanding of the Fort Meade region defense contracting environment, the RGMC cannot recommend appropriate actions for our small and minority businesses," read an informational paper put together by Howard County BRAC Supervisor Kent Menser for the Fort Meade Regional Growth Management Committee.

Howard County leaders and U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Baltimore City, came up with BBI to help minority-owned and small businesses penetrate the barriers that often squeeze such firms out of contracting opportunities.

Over a one-year period, government officials will track and document the obstacles and successes of 21 small and minority "test companies."

The test companies are broken down into two groups: companies with and without experience in defense contracting.

Eight "advisory companies" have signed up to provide advice on the best practices when working on defense contracts. Officials said they hope to expand that advisory group to 21 companies.

There also are 125 partner companies signed up to take on the test companies that are participating in the program. Officials ultimately hope to double the number of partnering companies.

BBI officials also said they eventually hope to put together a 300-plus-member permanent networking group of BBI-participating firms.

Several Anne Arundel County firms are expected to be among the initial group of participants, said Bob Leib, county BRAC special assistant.

The program's goal is to make the contracting environment more transparent for small and minority-owned companies, officials said.

"The challenge is to retain as much of this work (coming from BRAC) for Maryland businesses," said Luwanda Jenkins, who heads the Governor's Office of Minority Affairs and serves on the state BRAC subcommittee.

Many smaller businesses struggle with getting information on proposal requests or knowing whom to make sales pitches to, obtaining security clearance, or even finding resources for funding capital, officials said.

The BBI program will provide a template for small and minority businesses interested in contracting with a post-BRAC Fort Meade.

"The impact of BRAC will be felt in the state of Maryland for some time," Jenkins said.

Menser said a list of participating companies would be made available later. BBI members will meet in the next few weeks to give the first of several progress reports on the initiative.