The City and its partners will coach M/WBE firms on how to improve their directory profiles to stand out and be most competitive
Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Office of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) today announced a new community partnership to boost City contracting opportunities for M/WBEs. The City is working with community partners to help M/WBEs get certified or re-certified as an M/WBE contractor, working with them to offer advice on how these firms may best compete for contracts.
All registered M/WBE contractors appear in the NYC Business Directory that City agencies use to select contractors for various services. The City and its partners will coach M/WBE firms on how to improve their directory profiles to stand out and be most competitive. This new program is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s historic commitment to M/WBEs that aims to award 30 percent of City contract dollars to M/WBEs by 2021. The partnership also will help keep the City on track to reach its OneNYC goal, which is to award $16 billion dollars to M/WBEs by 2025.
“This new partnership will ensure that all businesses and firms led by diverse individuals have the chance to compete for City contracts,” saidMayor Bill de Blasio. “We know that when all people – regardless of race, gender or ethnicity – have the proper resources to reach their full potential, communities across the five boroughs will reap the benefits of their success.”
“Certification is an important first step towards participating in the City’s procurement process. By drastically increasing the number of certified M/WBEs, ensuring they can access our capacity building services and making it easier for City agencies to identify M/WBEs they can and should be doing business with, we can expand opportunity and award more City contracts to M/WBEs than ever before. This partnership demonstrates that we can make New York a fairer place to do business – a place where everyone can succeed," said Richard Buery, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives and Citywide M/WBE Director.
“This new partnership will perform mission critical work in helping M/WBEs compete for and win contracts with the City. For some of these businesses, a simple profile reboot can mean the difference between securing a rewarding City contract and missing out on a business opportunity,” said Jonnel Doris, Senior Advisor and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises. “By helping us tap into the existing pool of entrepreneurial talent – which we know runs very deep in New York City – these new partners will expand the work of M/WBEs citywide and remove barriers to entry, keeping us on pace to meet the 30 percent contracting goal.”
“City contractors should reflect the diverse talents and skills of all of our people, and that is why Mayor de Blasio has made a historic commitment to expanding contracting opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses,” said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. “Through this new partnership, we are working with partners in each borough to help M/WBEs highlight their services and best compete for City contracts.”
The City is working with 5 community partners, one per borough, to reach local minority- and women-owned businesses through events, workshops and counseling. The program will help these businesses get certified as a designated M/WBE contractor and help them better compete for City contracts. The initiative will help M/WBE firms improve their NYC Business Directory profiles by honing in on each firm’s strongest areas of expertise. City agencies often seek providers who specialize in specific services instead of those who list a large variety of general services. Through coaching and support, firms will be able to make clear how they can best serve as a City contractor.
M/WBE businesses seeking assistance with certification, recertification, or building their business profile may contact the community partners listed below:
- Bronx: SOBRO, 555 Bergen Avenue, Bronx, NY, (718)292-3113
- Brooklyn: Brooklyn Alliance, 335 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY (718)856-4078
- Manhattan: Jean Kristensen Associates, 275 Madison Avenue, New York, NY,(917)397-7242
- Queens: Queens Economic Development Corporation, 120-55 Queens Blvd, Kew Gardens, NY, (718)263-0546
- Staten Island: West Brighton LDC, 705 Forest Avenue, Staten Island, NY,(718)816-4775
- For more information on getting certified as a M/WBE contractor or to receive assistance, please visit www.nyc.gov/sbs.
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