Boost MWBE State Contracts

Section 1. Subdivisions 3 and 4 of section 311 of the executive law, subdivision 3 as added by chapter 261 of the laws of 1988, paragraphs (d) and (e) of subdivision 3 as amended by chapter 55 of the laws of 1992, paragraph (d-1) of subdivision 3 and paragraphs (d) and (e) of subdivision 4 as added and paragraphs (f), (i) and (j) of subdivision 3 and the opening paragraph of subdivision 4 as amended by chapter 96 of the laws of 2019, paragraphs (g) and (h) of subdivision 3 as amended by section 1 of part BB of chapter 59 of the laws of 2006, and subdivision 4 as amended by chapter 361 of the laws of 2009, are amended to read as follows:

3. The director shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) to encourage and assist contracting agencies in their efforts to increase participation by minority and women-owned business enterprises on state contracts and subcontracts [so as] to facilitate the award of a fair share of such contracts to them and to provide on the division's website a list of each contracting agency's minority and women-owned business enterprises certification outreach seminars;

(b) to develop standardized forms and reporting documents necessary to implement this article;

(c) to conduct educational outreach programs to encourage the certification of minority and women-owned business enterprises consistent with the purposes of this article;

(d) to review [periodically] quarterly the practices and procedures of each contracting agency with respect to compliance with the provisions of this article, and to require them to file [periodic] quarterly reports with the division of minority and women's business development

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD07105-03-0

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as to the level of minority and women-owned business enterprises participation in the awarding of agency contracts for goods and services including but not limited to the number of state contracts awarded to certified minority-owned or women-owned business enterprises, the maximum dollar amount obligated pursuant to all those contracts, and the total expenditures made pursuant to all such contracts; the number of state contracts awarded to certified minority or women-owned business enterprises, the maximum dollar amount obligated pursuant to all those contracts, and the total expenditures made pursuant to all such contracts; the number of state contracts awarded which include a utilization plan for business participation by certified minority or womenowned business enterprises, the maximum amount obligated pursuant to those contracts, and the total expenditures made pursuant to all such contracts; the number of state contracts awarded upon which a waiver was granted from goals required by the contracts for business participation by certified minority or women-owned business enterprises, and the maximum amount obligated pursuant to those contracts; the number of state contracts awarded which required goals for employment of minority group members and women; and the number of state contracts awarded for which waivers of employment goals required by the contracts have been granted;

(d-1) to require all contracting state agencies to develop a four-year growth plan to determine a means of promoting and increasing participation by minority-owned and women-owned business enterprises with respect to state contracts and subcontracts. Every four years, beginning September fifteenth, two thousand twenty, each contracting state agency shall submit a four-year growth plan as part of its annual report to the governor and legislature pursuant to section one hundred sixty-four of this chapter[.];

(e) on January first of each year report to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the minority leaders of the senate and the assembly, and the chairpersons of the senate finance and assembly ways and means committees on the [level] actual versus projected levels of minority and women-owned business enterprises participating in each agency's contracts for goods [and], services and construction, including but not limited to the number of state contracts awarded to certified minority-owned or women-owned business enterprises, the maximum dollar amount obligated pursuant to all those contracts, and the total expenditures made pursuant to all such contracts, and on activities of the office and effort by each contracting agency to promote employment of minority group members and women, and to promote and increase participation by certified businesses with respect to state contracts and subcontracts so as to facilitate the award of a fair share of state contracts to such businesses. The comptroller shall assist the division in collecting information on the participation of certified business for each contracting agency. Such report may recommend new activities and programs to effectuate the purposes of this article;

(f) the director shall list in the division's annual report the names of non-compliant agencies and the extent of their noncompliance in submitting its quarterly minority and women-owned business enterprise utilization reports; and, shall implement a master list of all the state agencies required to file quarterly compliance reports and shall attach such list to the division's annual report.

(g) to prepare and update, no less than [annually] quarterly, a directory of certified minority and women-owned business enterprises which shall, wherever practicable, be divided into categories of labor,

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services, supplies, equipment, materials and recognized construction trades and which shall indicate areas or locations of the state where such enterprises are available to perform services, and to use this information to create an internet based, centralized state registry to enable appropriate state certified minority and women-owned business enterprises to access contract and subcontract opportunities;

[(g)] (h) to appoint independent hearing officers who by contract or terms of employment shall preside over adjudicatory hearings pursuant to section three hundred fourteen of this article for the office and who are assigned no other work by the office;

[(h)] (i) notwithstanding the provisions of section two hundred ninety-six of this chapter, to file a complaint pursuant to the provisions of section two hundred ninety-seven of this chapter where the director has knowledge that a contractor may have violated the provisions of paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of subdivision one of section two hundred ninety-six of this chapter where such violation is unrelated, separate or distinct from the state contract as expressed by its terms; and

[(i)] (j) to streamline the state certification process to accept federal and municipal corporation certifications.

[(j)] (k) to make publicly available records of all waivers of compliance reported pursuant to paragraph (b) of subdivision six of section three hundred thirteen of this article on the division's website.

4. The director shall provide assistance to, and facilitate access to programs serving certified businesses as well as applicants to ensure that such businesses benefit, as needed, from technical, managerial and financial, and general business assistance; training; marketing; organization and personnel skill development; project management assistance; technology assistance; bond and insurance education assistance; and other business development assistance. The director shall maintain a toll-free number at the department of economic development to be used to answer questions concerning the MWBE certification process. In addition, the director [may] shall, either independently or in conjunction with other state agencies:

(a) develop a clearinghouse of information on programs and services provided by entities that may assist such businesses;

(b) review bonding and paperwork requirements imposed by contracting agencies that may unnecessarily impede the ability of such businesses to compete; [and]

(c) seek to maximize utilization by minority and women-owned business enterprises of available federal resources including but not limited to federal grants, loans, loan guarantees, surety bonding guarantees, technical assistance, and programs and services of the federal small business administration[.];

(d) conduct outreach events, training workshops, seminars, and other such educational programs throughout the state, including all regional offices, to state agencies, external stakeholders, and the public, to promote awareness and utilization of minority and women-owned business enterprises; and

(e) identify and establish mentorship opportunities and other business development programs to increase capacity and better prepare MWBEs for bidding on contracts with state agencies upon successful completion of the mentorship opportunity. Such mentorship opportunities shall be intended to ensure that mentor and mentee are connected based on a commercially useful function.

§ 2. Subdivision 5 of section 312 of the executive law, as added by chapter 261 of the laws of 1988, is amended to read as follows:

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5. The director shall promulgate rules and regulations to ensure that contractors and subcontractors undertake programs of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity as required by this section. Such rules and regulations as they pertain to any particular agency shall be developed after consultation with contracting agencies. Such rules and regulations [may] shall require a contractor, after notice in a bid solicitation, to submit an equal employment opportunity program [after bid opening and prior to the award of any contract] at the time bids are submitted, and [may] shall require the contractor or subcontractor to submit compliance reports relating to the contractor's or subcontractor's operation and implementation of any equal employment opportunity program in effect as of the date the contract is executed. The contracting agency [may recommend to the director that] shall have the right to recommend that the director take appropriate action according to the procedures set forth in section three hundred sixteen of this article against the contractor for noncompliance with the requirements of this section. The contracting agency shall be responsible for monitoring compliance with this section.

§ 3. Paragraph (j) of subdivision 2-a of section 313 of the executive law, as amended by chapter 96 of the laws of 2019, is amended and a new paragraph (k) is added to read as follows:

(j) require each agency to consult the most current disparity study when calculating agency-wide and contract specific participation goals pursuant to this article; [and]

(k) encourage joint ventures, partnerships, and mentor-protege relationships as defined in section one hundred forty-seven of the state finance law, between prime contractors and minority and women-owned business enterprises; and

§ 4. Subdivision 3 and paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 313 of the executive law, as amended by chapter 96 of the laws of 2019, are amended to read as follows:

3. Solely for the purpose of providing the opportunity for [meaningful] increased participation by certified businesses in the performance of state contracts as provided in this section, state contracts shall include leases of real property by a state agency to a lessee where: the terms of such leases provide for the construction, demolition, replacement, major repair or renovation of real property and improvements thereon by such lessee; and the cost of such construction, demolition, replacement, major repair or renovation of real property and improvements thereon shall exceed the sum of one hundred thousand dollars. Reports to the director pursuant to section three hundred fifteen of this article shall include activities with respect to all such state contracts. Contracting agencies shall include or require to be included with respect to state contracts for the acquisition, construction, demolition, replacement, major repair or renovation of real property and improvements thereon, such provisions as [may] shall be necessary to effectuate the provisions of this section in every bid specification and state contract, including, but not limited to: (a) provisions requiring contractors to make a good faith effort to solicit active participation by enterprises identified in the directory of certified businesses; (b) requiring the parties to agree as a condition of entering into such contract, to be bound by the provisions of section three hundred sixteen of this article; and (c) requiring the contractor to include the provisions set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subdivision in every subcontract in a manner that the provisions will be binding upon each subcontractor as to work in connection with such contract.

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