Senate Democrats Push For More Contracts For Minority And Women Owned Business

New York being ranked at or near the top in the number of African-American-, Hispanic-, and women-owned companies.

Stewart-Cousins and Thompson co-chair a Conference task force that is exploring how the MWBE certification process can undergo a “Fast Track,” or expedited process to allow more companies to compete for state contracts. The goal is to have a streamlined process in place by October 1.

“Antoine and Andrea have done a great job in sitting down with representatives from many different state agencies and working with them to make the certification process a little less daunting for MWBEs,” said Smith. “We hope that their efforts will help to significantly increase the number of minority- and women-owned companies that bid on state jobs.”

“We talk a lot about our ‘9-to-5 Agenda’,” continued Smith. “These entrepreneurs worked beyond the 9-to-5 workday, sometimes six or seven days a week to get their businesses off the ground. When more MWBEs get a fair shot at bidding for – and winning – state contracts, that helps their business grow, which means more jobs. It’s good for them, and its good for our state.”