Comptroller Stringer Announces 2021 MWBE University Webinar Series To Create Access and Expand Economic Opportunity for New York City Small Businesses
Announces six webinars from March to July 2021 as part of Comptroller’s Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) University Series to train and support MWBEs and help small businesses grow
Trainings will feature topics including how to prepare for credit and capital, fueling the demand for diversity on boards, how to implement a chief diversity officer, how to increase MWBE purchase method opportunities for City agencies, investment relationships with pension consultants post-COVID and doing business with the Comptroller’s Office
(New York, NY) — Today, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer announced a continuation of his Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) University Series — an initiative first launched in 2018 — to expand access and opportunities for minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs) seeking to do business with the City. MWBE University will be a year-long series of workshops designed to help MWBEs get certified with the City, navigate the procurement process, and gain access City contracts. While City agencies are making important strides in delivering contracts to M/WBEs, major gaps remain. In 2019, the City awarded only 4.9 percent of all awards to MWBEs.
“As thousands of businesses struggle to stay afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis, my office is doing everything in our power to help small businesses and MWBEs rebuild stronger than ever. Seven years ago, we started analyzing and holding agencies accountable for how – and to whom – it delivers contracts. What we found were deep inequities and an unequal playing field. But City Hall continues to fail our MWBEs as long-standing gaps in access remain ignored in the bureaucratic procurement process. If we’re going to rebuild to a true five-borough economy, we have to make sure our MWBEs are successful,” said Comptroller Stringer. “This year, we’re relaunching a series of online workshops in twelve different languages to expand aid and opportunities for small businesses and MWBEs impacted by COVID-19. I’m proud that last year our workshops ultimately connected 80 minority and women asset managers with City pension consultants, and this year we hope to exceed that success. Local community wealth creation depends on giving these businesses a fair shot.”
The year-long series of workshops will address a variety of topics including how to hire a Chief Diversity Officer, how to attain seats on boards, and how to navigate Minority Depository Institutions, among other issues. Along with opening the doors to City contracting, MWBE University will provide businesses with opportunities in contracting directly with the Comptroller’s office.
The list of workshops include:
March 23, 2021 – 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
How to Prepare for Credit and Capital (Even in a Pandemic)
Where businesses can learn best practices from Minority Depository Institutions to access capital, even during crisis.
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4BwwP8edRuirdqYO6DkF6g
April 22, 2021 – 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Fueling the Demand for Diversity on Boards: For M/WBEs and Young Professionals
Where business owners and young professionals can learn what it takes to become a board director at a public company.
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nWdoFuvZTQedKmZtimXyug
May 12, 2021 – 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
How to Implement a Chief Diversity Officer
Where corporations, colleges/universities and NYC agencies can learn how to operationalize diversity within the heart of how they do business – and where college students can learn how to do the job.
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_biJkcil7RceINYLbFrJDPQ
June 9, 2021 – 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
How to Increase M/WBE Purchase Method Opportunities: for NYC Agencies
Where NYC Agency Contract Officers, M/WBE Officers, and Chief Diversity Officers can learn how to plan procurements with diversity in mind.
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_y_fnhHBcTpiE1Cjodk2D7A
July 14, 2021 – 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Investment Relationships with Pension Consultants Post-COVID
Where M/WBE investment managers can learn and build relationships with NYC’s pension consultants.
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5gNeDydsRJe27X2JBNrAqQ
August 4, 2021 – 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Doing Business with the Comptroller’s Office
Hear directly from the Comptroller’s Office about opportunities for professional services, legal services, standard services, and goods contracts, and learn procurement best practices from M/WBE trailblazers in their industries.
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qWg3dCdyREKMJX0bL1nCCA
Save the Date: December 2021
Annual Emerging & M/WBE Manager Conference
We highly encourage CEOs, Senior Partners, and Portfolio Managers of Public Equity, Public Fixed Income, Private Equity, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Hedge Funds, Alternative Credit, and Economically Targeted Investment Firms and Broker/Dealers to attend.
To RSVP, visit http://Comptrollerdiversity.eventbrite.com or email diversity@comptroller.nyc.gov. Interpretation will be available in Cart translation, Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Mandarin, Nepali, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu. Please request interpretation services upon RSVP at least two days before each session.
If you are a business owner and need help navigating City procurement opportunities and resources, make an appointment with the Comptroller’s Office by emailing diversity@comptroller.nyc.gov. If you are a constituent and need assistance with complaints or inquiries about government services, please email the Comptroller’s Community Action Center at action@comptroller.nyc.gov.
Since taking office, Comptroller Stringer has launched initiatives to increase transparency and improve access to City contracting by MWBEs including his “Making the Grade” report, which assessed each City agency’s actual spending with MWBEs compared to citywide procurement goals established by Local Law 1 of 2013. The latest findings from December 2020 spotlighted the reality that MWBEs continue to face structural inequities and barriers to opportunities as 80 percent of City agency grades measuring MWBE spending and transparency either remained stagnant or declined since 2019. In that report, the City earned its second passing “C” grade after four consecutive years of “D+” grades, and analyzed the acute impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic shutdown on the city’s MWBEs, after 85 percent of MWBEs reported in a July 2020 survey said that they could not survive the next six months.
To read the full “Making the Grade” report, click here.
To see the schedule of MWBE University events, click here.
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