As Gov. Wes Moore prepares to cope with another Donald Trump presidential administration — which could cause upheaval in infrastructure, immigration and federal jobs — he’ll get help from private consultants at the cost of $190,000.

The state government entered into a contract this month with Accenture, an international management and technology consulting firm.

Accenture will research Trump’s proposed agenda and how it will affect the state’s priorities and programs, according to a two-page purchasing agreement between the state and the firm. Accenture will conduct “risk management and scenario planning” that will help the state prioritize its efforts and determine potential legal challenges against the administration.

The contract was signed on Nov. 7 — two days after Trump’s election — and will run for two months.

The deal with Accenture was not competitively bid; it piggybacks off an existing contract the consulting firm has with the University of Virginia. And at a total cost of $190,000, it falls under the general threshold of $200,000 that requires approval by the state’s Board of Public Works.

Moore’s office defended the deal in response to questions about the contract, which was first reported by The Baltimore Sun.

“Hiring outside consultant help is a standard part of any organization, and at a time of greater potential risk in regards to Maryland’s reliance on the federal government it is imperative that the state enlists outside expertise to prepare for any challenges we may face,” Moore spokesman Carter Elliott IV said in a statement.

State employees are leading the work of formulating plans for dealing with potential federal government actions, Elliott’s statement said, and the consultants will “bring additional knowledge” and “extend their reach and bandwidth.”

“With billions of dollars in potential liabilities for the state, it would be reckless of the Moore-Miller Administration to not be prepared for any challenges it may face due to new policy direction taken from the federal government,” the statement read.

The Democratic governor has vowed to protect Marylanders from potential ill effects of another Trump administration.

“We will vigorously defend the interests of all Marylanders, and we are ready to push back on this new administration when necessary,” Moore told members of his cabinet three days after the election.

Moore and his team spoke at that time about preparations being made to understand and respond to the next Trump presidency, but made no mention of the Accenture consulting contract. The Moore administration has not offered many specifics about the state’s potential actions.

Republican leaders in Annapolis took a dim view of the Accenture contract.

“We should look for ways to work with the incoming Administration, instead of bracing for some sort of attack,” Del. Jason Buckel, the House of Delegates minority leader, said in a statement Monday afternoon. “This innate sense of partisanship is not in the best interests of any Marylander, particularly under the unified control of our federal government by Republicans.”

Republican Del. Jesse Pippy, the minority whip in the House, said the Moore administration and lawmakers should be focused instead on the budget shortfall the state is facing. “Any looming threat coming to Maryland has nothing to do with who won the last election,” Pippy said in a statement. “Maryland is facing the worst budget crisis in two decades.”

The Moore administration and other government leaders have identified a host of concerns.

There are worries that Trump, a Republican, could punish Democratic-dominated states like Maryland when it comes to funding decisions. Maryland is relying on federal funding for a host of infrastructure projects, including rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge, building a new Red Line light rail route in Baltimore, constructing the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel for passenger trains and expanding the Howard Street Tunnel for freight trains.

Maryland’s state government budget, as with most states, also relies heavily on federal aid.

Maryland leaders are also hoping Trump doesn’t reverse a decision to build a new FBI headquarters in Greenbelt, which was announced last year after a yearslong process. Trump has said he’d prefer for the FBI to remain headquartered in Washington, D.C.

The state’s economy could also suffer if Trump targets the federal workforce for cuts, as the state is home to more than 142,000 federal civilian employees, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Trump has also suggested he’ll deport illegal immigrants and roll back rights for people in the LGBTQIA+ community, and has given mixed signals about abortion access — all issues that would affect numerous Marylanders.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has indicated he’s willing to fight, creating a team in his office to respond to Trump’s possible actions with litigation.