State streamlines the MWBE certification process

ALBANY — Interested New York business owners can now apply for any MWBE (minority and women-owned business enterprise) certification programs in New York using one website and one common application. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this year directed Empire State Development’s Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development to establish a statewide integrated MWBE application portal.

The portal will also provide applicants with direct assistance from program staff in order to make the process of completing the application “as accessible as possible.” 

Cuomo also announced additional improvements to the MWBE certification process. 

They include extending MWBE certifications from three years to five years; expanding the Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development’s internal resources and working with external stakeholders to “streamline and reduce” the time associated with the application review process; and releasing updated information and guidance that explains the certification process and providing increased technical assistance to applicants as they navigate the certification process.

Recent history 

In 2011, the governor set a goal of utilizing MWBEs for 20 percent of state contracting. Two years later, that goal was surpassed — and in 2014, Cuomo raised the goal to 30 percent. The MWBE utilization reached 29 percent during fiscal year 2018-2019, “the highest recorded rate” in New York and the “highest MWBE utilization rate in the country,” per Cuomo’s 2020 State of the State report. 

That year, contracts worth about $3 billion were awarded to minority or women-owned businesses. 

During Cuomo’s tenure, more than $15.9 billion in state contracting dollars have been awarded to MWBEs and more than 7,900 MWBEs have been certified. Additionally, in July 2019, Cuomo signed legislation reauthorizing New York’s MWBE program, extending the program for an additional five years until 2024. 

A number of different entities within New York State currently operate MWBE programs. They include New York State, New York City, Erie County, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the New York State 53 Chapter of Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, and the New York/New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council. Each entity has its own individualized application and certification requirements. 

In order to be competitive for government contracts, many minority and women owned businesses “find it necessary” to seek multiple certifications, a process that is often “very time consuming” and involves submitting similar information to several different entities, the state contends. This process serves as a “barrier” for too many minority and women-owned businesses that are seeking to contract with government entities in New York state. 

“In order to tackle this problem,” Cuomo directed Empire State Development’s Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development to establish the statewide integrated MWBE application portal.