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Advocacy

It is part of our mission to advocate for causes that are of interest to our community.

Discretionary Purchasing Threshold for New York City and State Increases to $500,000.00

After months of lobbying and advocacy, state and city-certified small M/WBEs are now eligible to receive non competitive awards up to $500,000.00. The M/WBE GovTek Connect fully supports these legislative changes as steps towards a stronger, and more diverse ecosystem of local small businesses. There is still more work to be done. The next phase will require everyone’s participation to provide input on translating legislation into regulations. Contact the MGC Advocacy Committee for more details on how to get involved.

NYS Article 15-A Highlights:

  • Extending the term of MWBE certification from 3 years to 5 years; 
  • Increasing agency and authority discretionary purchasing threshold from $200,000 to $500,000 without a formal competitive process; 
  • Increasing the Personal Net Worth cap from $3.5 million to $15 million to make more businesses eligible; 
  • Authorizing the Division of MWBE to organize outreach events, training and educational opportunities for MWBE firms across the state; and 
  • Establishing a Workforce Diversity Program that requires State agencies overseeing construction projects to utilize a diverse workforce; among additional new terms. 

NYC PPB Title 9 Amendment Highlights:

  • Expanded application of best value competitive sealed bid price preference mechanism to city and state certified MWBEs.  
  • MWBE scoring preference (up to 10%) applicable to competitive sealed proposals for consulting services. 
  • Increases non-competitive small purchases up to $500,000.00 in line with the State limit. 
Read the NYS Article 15-A bill: Download NYS Article 15-A bill here
Read NYC Procurement Policy Board Title 9, Chapter 1 & 3 Notice of Adoption: Download notice of adoption here.

City-wide Appointment of Chief Diversity Officers

Executive Order No. 59 directed every New York City agency to appoint a Chief Diversity Officer and Chief MWBE Officer and firmly established this role. In light of the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on female and minority-owned businesses, the executive order also included measures to strengthen the City’s utilization of M/WBEs.

Executive Order No. 59 Highlights:

  • Establishes a Chief Diversity M/WBE Officer in all City agencies. 
  • Encourages all City agencies to procure goods, services, and construction from M/WBEs for amounts up to $500,000 
  • Ensures City agencies set M/WBE participation goals for contracts relating to COVID-19 response and requires agencies to consider at least one quote from an M/WBE before awarding a contract related to the COVID-19 response. 
  • Makes emergency-related contracts exceeding $25 million subject to an additional MOCS review. 
Read Executive Order No. 59: Download Order No. 59 here

MWBE GovTek Connect Advocacy Committee

MGC is the only NYC-based technology community run solely by local MWBEs. We celebrate diversity and use it to our advantage in our mission to promote a more inclusive and connected technology industry. Our hard working community steers our goals, organizes our programs, and dictates the success of our initiatives. Bring your skills and passion to the forefront, instead of standing on the sidelines watching it happen. Consider joining the MGC Advocacy Committee to help shape the future of MWBEs in the technology industry.

Email Colleen Molter, Advocacy Committee Chair, at info@mwbegovtek.com