New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced a new initiative where the Office of Minority Owned Business Enterprises will partner with one organization in each borough in an effort to boost minority- and women-owned business (M/WBE) participation on city contracts.
Through this arrangement, the city and its partners are trying to ensure that M/WBES not only know how to register with the City as M/WBEs and maintain their certification, but also how to increase their profile in the New York City Business Directory and make themselves appear competitive to the public agencies and private firms.
The partners are the Queens Economic Development Corporation, for Queens; SoBRO, for the Bronx; the Brooklyn Alliance, for Brooklyn; Jean Kristensen Associates, for Manhattan; and the West Brighton Community Local Development Corporation, for Staten Island. All of these firms and organizations have prior experience in dealing with and providing resources to M/WBEs.
Much of the aid provided by the community organizations will focus on helping M/WBEs identify and promote their unique and specific areas of expertise, given that agencies tend to go looking for M/WBEs when there are specialized needs involved in the relevant projects.
Other forms of education and support will also be available. The Queens Economic Development Corporation, in one instance, has had experience since 2012 in providing one-on-one sessions and group training to M/WBEs to help participants become more competitive.
This latest iniative is in keeping with de Blasio's goal of awarding M/WBEs 30 percent of city contracting dollars by 2021 and $16 billion total in contracting dollars by 2025.
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