Ninth Annual MWBE Forum

The ninth annual MWBE forum was held this week at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. The forum is New York State’s largest annual business event for minority and women-owned business enterprises, bringing together business owners, community leaders, state officials and contractors’ representatives to discuss state contracting opportunities and learn about resources available to MWBEs. The Governor announced, in conjunction with the forum, that the utilization rate for Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises on state contracts increased to 29.13 percent during the 2018-2019 Fiscal Year. In total, MWBEs won more than $2.93 billion in state contracts during the 2018-2019 Fiscal Year.

Governor Cuomo said:

“In New York, we know that diversity is a strength, not a weakness — and when we empower minority and women-owned businesses to compete for state contracts, we create a better New York for all. Our nation-leading utilization rate reflects the unmatched pool of MWBEs in the Empire State and our concerted efforts to create a more equal playing field for these companies.”