The MWBE Program at the SLA

The Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise (“MWBE”) Program is operated by the Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development of the Empire State Development Corporation. New York State Executive Law Article 15-A §§ 310-317 governs requirements for the participation of MWBEs in New York State contracting. The objective of Article 15-A is to promote equality of economic opportunities for MWBEs by eliminating barriers to their participation in New York state contracting.

Article 15-A provides contract dollar value thresholds for purchases of commodities and services greater than $25,000 and for construction and construction related contracts greater than $100,000. Contracts that meet or exceed the minimum thresholds MUST be assessed for MWBE goals.

 

The SLA Procurement Strategy
  1. The Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development: The Division provides assistance and encouragement to the SLA and other state agencies that are engaged in contracting activities to ensure the awarding of a fair share of state contracts to MWBEs.
     
  2. The Office of General Services: The SLA is hosted by the Office of General Services (OGS) for human resources, finance and contracting matters.  Although this hosting relationship exists, the SLA makes all decisions and provides all direction regarding the utilization of agency resources. The SLA uses the same procurement policies and procedures as OGS. The OGS Office of Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises serve as a point of contact for inquiries about the SLA’s MWBE goals and contract utilization.
     
  3. Strategic Objectives Regarding Utilization of MWBEs: There are certain areas where the SLA has not traditionally had spending (e.g., construction contracting, consulting, etc.) and accordingly has not been able to utilize MWBEs.  In other areas, such as commodities and services, the SLA actively encourages the participation of MWBEs whenever possible.

  4. Outreach: The SLA participates in OGS outreach initiatives aimed at engaging MWBEs in state procurement.

                              

For more information about the MWBE program, please visit the Empire State Development website.