What's happening
This bill requires Empire State Development to hire independent consultants to review and report on state agency MWBE procurement practices.
Why it matters
Brings outside scrutiny to state agency procurement. by requiring independent consultants to review not just policies on paper, but also the actual practices, staff training, and outreach related to Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs), which could reveal blind spots or systemic issues that internal reviews might miss.
Mandates regular, detailed reporting. (quarterly) on findings and recommendations, increasing both transparency and the potential for ongoing, rather than one-time, improvements in how state agencies engage with MWBEs.
Examines the human element of procurement. by requiring consultants to assess the training and outreach efforts of procurement staff, which recognizes that staff capacity and proactive engagement are critical for MWBE participation—not just official policies.
Could drive substantive policy change. if consultants’ recommendations are acted upon, potentially leading to more equitable access to state contracts for minority- and women-owned businesses, and setting a precedent for accountability in government contracting.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Review State Contracting for MWBEs
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
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History
- Referred to governmental operations
- Referred to governmental operations
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1507
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 15, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. BICHOTTE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to authorizing the empire state development corporation to retain one or more independent MWBE consultant firms to conduct an independent review of procurement procedures utilized by state agencies
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 311-a of the executive law is amended by adding a new subdivision 5 to read as follows:
5. The empire state development corporation, acting through the statewide advocate, shall retain one or more independent MWBE consultant firms to conduct an independent review of procurement procedures utilized by state agencies, the level and training of staff involved in the procurement process and the outreach measures used by such staff to work with minority-owned and women-owned businesses during the procurement process. The WMBE contractor shall report its findings and recommendations for improvements to the statewide advocate on a quarterly basis.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that the amendments to section 311-a of the executive law made by section one of this act shall not affect the expiration of article 15-A of the executive law and shall be deemed to expire therewith.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00191-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.