Today, the NYC Public Schools announced an important policy change to increase the participation of minority- and women-owned businesses (M/WBEs) in its procurement process.
Effective immediately, the school system will have a goal of 30 percent utilization on M/WBE subcontracts on all NYCPS contracts going forward, and amount that totals between $10 and $12 billion annually.
“For decades minority- and women-owned businesses have been at a disadvantage when contracting with New York City Public Schools,” Schools Chancellor David C. Banks said. “By increasing the participation of minority- and women-owned businesses, we are providing these businesses and their owners with the opportunity to build generational wealth and create a more fair and equal city. Additionally, by working with the businesses that know our city the best, we will improve the quality services for our students and staff. This long-delayed decision is the right one for our students, our schools, and our communities.”
“When Mayor Eric Adams appointed me as the first Citywide Chief Business Diversity Officer, I made the same commitment that he and Chancellor David Banks made to ensure that the entire administration reflects the diversity of our great city,” said New York City Chief Business Diversity Officer Michael J. Garner. “Indeed, I commend Chancellor Banks and the New York City Department of Education for investing real and tangible resources towards the expansion of M/WBE programming goals in their procurements. An expansion that reflects the diversity of their student and parental population, and will help to ensure that we achieve Mayor Adams’ aggressive M/WBE goals which will also drive real dollars to our local communities. I hope to bring my 30 years of experience working in diversity and M/WBE initiatives as a hard resource in our partnership. It’s a proven fact that access to government contracts creates jobs in communities of color, homeownership, better educational opportunities, and healthcare options.”
This announcement is a significant step toward meeting Mayor Eric Adams’ commitment to increasing the utilization of M/WBEs in New York City Public Schools.
The participation of M/WBEs is essential for the growth, vibrancy, and diversity of our schools, community, and economy. The vendors who do business with the schools must reflect our students’ communities, and equity and inclusion are core values at the center of all we do—in classrooms, across campuses, and in the community.
By increasing M/WBE participation, the school system will uplift families and communities and bring economic equity to vendors who deserve it. That’s at the root of taking this bold action toward meeting the 30% M/WBE commitment while strengthening partnership with our business community’s leadership and showing our students and families our commitment to better reflecting the wonderful diversity in our schools.
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