Workforce Diversity
Improving New York State’s Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Program
ficant disparities in their access to private and public sector con- tracting and procurement opportunities, according to a study rele- ased by NERA Economic Consulting. “The State of Minority- and Woman-Owned Business Enter- prise: Evidence from New York” The New York State Department of Economic Development commissioned NERA to conduct a statewide disparity study un- der Executive Law § 312-a regarding the participation of minority and women-owned business enterprises in state contracts. NERA’s report examined the past and current status of minority-owned and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) in the geographic and product markets for contracting and procurement in the state of New York. In the NERA report, “The State of Minority- and Woman-Ow-
M
ned Business Enterprise: Evidence from New York,” co-authors NERA Vice President Dr. Jon Wainwright and longtime NERA collaborator Colette Holt, JD, of Colette Holt & Associates, found that M/WBEs have substantially lower business formation rates and business owner earnings; are more likely to be denied credit even with comparable balance sheets; and during the period of the study, found that M/WBE firms were generally utilized at far lower rates than their availability. Furthermore, the authors of the study determined that the statistical evidence supports the conclusion that these outcomes are consistent with discrimination in New York’s contracting and procurement markets. In response to the NERA study’s findings of discrimination in
the use of M/WBEs in New York’s markets, NERA authors issued an accompanying report including recommendations to improve M/WBEs access to state contracts. The authors’ recommendations include:
Increase vendor communication and outreach to address com-
“Increase vendor communication and outreach to address complaints from M/WBE firms of the difficulty in accessing information about State contracting situations”
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plaints from M/WBE firms of the difficulty in accessing infor- mation about State contracting situations; Increase contract “un- bundling;” Review surety bonding and insurance requirements, to ensure that coverage levels are no greater than necessary for the contract; If permitted by law, NY State should consider adopting a New York Small Business Target Market program for small NY- based firms seeking work as prime contractors or consultants; Ex- pand the Capital Access Pilot Program, by providing loans to M/ WBEs at favorable interest rates, using their State contracts as col- lateral; and improve contracting and procurement data collection and retention procedures. NERA’s disparity study and recommendations for New York
State’s M/WBE program can be accessed here:
http://www.esd.
ny.gov/MWBE.html. Source:
BusinessWire.com
www.blackeoejournal.com The Black E.O.E. Journal
inority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) in New York State continue to experience statistically signi-
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