OneNYC: Mayor de Blasio Announces City Awarded More Than $10 Billion To M/WBES Since 2015

October 10, 2018

In 2018 alone, City agencies awarded $3.7 Billon to M/WBEs

NEW YORK––Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that the City has awarded more than $10 billion to minority and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBES) since 2015, when the Mayor established his OneNYC goal to award $20 billion to M/WBEs by 2025. In 2018 alone, the City awarded more than $3.7 billion to M/WBEs through mayoral and non-mayoral agencies.

“To truly become the fairest big city in America, we need to take steps that allow everyone – regardless of race, gender or ethnicity – to participate in our economy,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This year, we’ve reached a milestone: $10 billion have been awarded to M/WBEs since the beginning of my Administration. While this is a clear sign of progress, we still have a lot of work to do to continue creating a fairer and more inclusive city.”

“When we give all New Yorkers the resources and tools they need to thrive in our economy, we’re creating a more inclusive and fair city that works for all,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives J. Phillip Thompson. “While we’ve awarded $10 billion to M/WBEs since 2015, we’re not stopping there. We’re going to keep moving at a fast pace to continue implementing new policies and awarding unprecedented awards to M/WBEs to truly create the fairest big city in America.”

“Today’s historic milestone of awarding $10 billion to M/WBEs delivers upon the Mayor’s unprecedented commitment to make New York City the fairest big city in America,” said Jonnel Doris, Senior Advisor and Director of the Mayor’s Office of M/WBEs. “We will continue to open doors and breakdown barriers to participation for women and entrepreneurs of color, creating a more inclusive and diverse economy that works for all.”  

“Under Mayor de Blasio’s leadership, the City is certifying record numbers of M/WBEs and effectively connecting these firms to contracting opportunities,” said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. “The $10 billion in awards announced today is confirmation that M/WBE certification provides a real path for underrepresented firms across the five boroughs.”

In 2015, Mayor de Blasio outlined his OneNYC plan to create a more resilient, sustainable and equitable city. Within this plan, the Mayor established his original OneNYC goal to award $16 billion to M/WBEs through mayoral agencies by 2025. In May of 2018, the Mayor announced that the City was $1.8 billion ahead of projections and that the goal would be expanded to award $20 billion to M/WBEs by 2025. Today, the City is on track, having awarded more than $10 billion to M/WBEs since 2015 through both mayoral and non-mayoral agencies, the latter of which includes agencies such as the Economic Development Corporation and the Department of Education.

The top five performing agencies include:

1. The Department of Design and Construction awarded more than $1 billion to M/WBEs since 2015.
2. The Department of Parks and Recreation awarded more than $455 million to M/WBEs since 2015.
3. The Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications awarded more than $449 million to M/WBEs since 2015.
4. The Department of Environmental Protection awarded more than $434 million to M/WBEs since 2015.
5. The Department of Transportation awarded more than $275 million to M/WBEs since 2015.

In 2016, when Mayor de Blasio announced the creation of the Office of M/WBEs, the Mayor set a goal to award 30 percent of all mayoral and certain non-mayoral contracts to M/WBEs by 2021. In 2018, these agencies have awarded more than $1 billion to M/WBEs, or 19 percent of the value of City contracts. That’s up from 11.4 percent in 2017.

“DDC has made increasing M/WBE participation a top priority, and our office of Diversity and Industry Relations makes a great effort to reach out to M/WBE contractors to ensure they have every opportunity to do business with the City,” said Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Lorraine Grillo. “Since 2015, the agency has convened an External Diversity Advisory Board of construction industry members who help guide our M/WBE program, with a mission to develop innovative practices that foster diversity and inclusion. We’ve also connected with thousands of M/WBE professionals through our industry events, matching M/WBE subcontractors with general contractors that want to hire them. We’re very pleased to be the City’s leading M/WBE contracting agency by volume, and will continue to work toward Mayor de Blasio’s overall M/WBE goals.”

“It takes a lot of contracting to deliver the technology that more than a hundred City agencies and offices depend on to get their work done, and we’re proud to have made M/WBEs an indispensable part of it,” said Samir Saini, Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. “Half a billion dollars to M/WBEs in two years is an agency record, but we’re determined to go farther – because fueling the growth of M/WBEs means fueling economic equity all across the city we love.”

“With operations stretching across the 2000-square mile upstate watershed and the five boroughs, DEP offers a diverse set of contract opportunities and is committed to further increasing the meaningful participation of M/WBE’s,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “Moving forward we will expand our outreach to minority and women-owned businesses and implement a new Mentoring Program that will provide on-site exposure to demonstrate how DEP utilizes contractors and vendors to carry out our essential mission.”

"We are commitment to partnering with M/WBE contractors and subcontractors across various areas, and I am proud that our agency is among the City's top in engagement; having increased utilization by five percent in FY'18," said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. "We look forward to continued collaboration with M/WBE firms to ensure that the City's mission is achieved, and these businesses receive the essential tools they need to grow and become successful."

State Senator James Sanders Jr., Chair of the Democratic M/WBE Task Force, said, “As the father of MWBEs, having authored Local Law 1 and Local 129, during my time in the City Council, I support the city’s commitment to helping these businesses realize their full potential. Moving forward, I will continue to work with the Mayor and his administration to ensure that a fair share of contracts go to MWBEs.”

“Since 2015 New York City has awarded $10 billion in contracts to Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises as part of the Office of MWBE’s One NYC Program doubling or tripling opportunities and economic empowerment,” said Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte, Chair of the Subcommittee on the Oversight of M/WBEs. “This incredible accomplishment indicates how serious Mayor Bill de Blasio takes building economic development and implementing economic equity in our communities. I am confident that the Mayor in partnership with the Office of MWBE, and Commissioner Gregg Bishop of Small Business Services will build upon this accomplishment to ensure that New York City’s economy is fair to all."

“Small businesses are the backbone of New York's economy. As a City, we need to continue empowering minority and women-owned businesses to help them reach their full potential and strengthen our local economies," said State Senator Gustavo Rivera. "This administration's investment in M/WBEs will ensure New York encourages these businesses to grow and thrive.”

“In a City as diverse as New York, making a commitment to contracting with M/WBE firms is critical to creating an equitable economy,” said Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr., Chair of the Task Force on M/WBEs. “I commend Mayor Bill de Blasio for not only making that commitment, but for keeping us on track to meet it. While there is plenty of work left to be done to ensure M/WBE firms are benefiting equally from City contracts, and I look forward to remaining a steadfast partner in that work, it is great to see these efforts making an impact.”

“As chair of the Committee on Women, supporting our minority and women-owned businesses is one of the most important parts of my job – they are critical to the economic empowerment of our communities. This Administration has shown a real commitment to creating innovative and effective new tools for us to do exactly that. I want to congratulate the City on the achievement of $10 billion in contracts awarded to M/WBES in just three years. Thank you to the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor, M/WBE Director Jonnel Doris, and Commissioner Gregg Bishop for their ongoing leadership and partnership on economic empowerment for all,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Chair of the Committee on Women.