2012 M/WBE participation falls short of NYC goals
Published on 12/05/2012
New York City is far from meeting its minority- and women-owned business (M/WBEs) participation goals on city contracts under $1 million, according to the M/WBE Report Card published by City Comptroller John C. Liu.
In 2012, M/WBEs have received just 3.1 percent - or $450.7 million - of city contracts under $1 million, despite participation goals ranging from 5 percent to 17 percent, depending on the minority group and procurement category. Non-M/WBEs, by contrast, received $14.1 billion of the contracts.
The participation goals for contracts under $1 million for each group range from:
- 5 to 9 percent for Hispanic businesses;
- 7.5 to 12.6 percent for African American businesses;
- 5 to 9.5 percent for Asian American businesses; and
- 16.5 to 17.8 percent for businesses owned by white women.
The city has fallen short of its goals for each minority group eligible for the M/WBE program. Actual participation for Hispanic and African American businesses are the lowest for 2012, averaging around 0.5 percent of all contracting dollars under $1 million for the former and slightly lower for the latter. Women and Asian American businesses fared better, with the former hovering around 1 percent and the latter just below 2 percent.
Despite the wide gap between the city's M/WBE goals and actual M/WBE participation, overall M/WBE participation inched upward in 2012. In 2011 and 2010, only 2.9 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively, of city contracts under $1 million went to M/WBEs.
