In his ongoing quest to bring the government to
the people, Council Member Kendall Stewart (below right) brought to
his
district a two-part workshop on how to get certified to do business
with the City, presented by the New York City Department of Small
Business Services (SBS). "I believe it is my duty," Stewart told the
small business owners assembled at PS 269, "to bring the information
to you rather than make you fumble around trying to find out where
to access it in the maze that is our City government. You should
know that there are excellent resources you can tap into and
outstanding people to assist you, several of whom are with us
tonight."
The
workshop "Get Certified!" which the councilmember and SBS
cosponsored with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Caribbean
American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI), and the New York
City Economic Development Corporation, followed up on the passage of
Local Law 129 that directs buyers at New York City agencies to
purchase more goods and services from certified Minority- and
Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) vendors. The purpose is to
reduce disparities and ensure fair participation and equal
opportunity in City procurement.
In
the first workshop, which provided an overview of the program and
application form, Glenis Henriquez, SBS Director of External
Affairs, explained that the law mandates that the City do a certain
percentage of business with "minority" and women-owned businesses.
However, the only way the City can identify these businesses is if
they are certified. "New York City procures $11 billion of stuff
every year," she stated. "So even 10% of that procurement pot is a
lot of money. But you're not going to get any of it unless you're
certified."
Henriquez
explained that to qualify for certification, a company must be 1) in
business for at least a year, 2) at least 51% owned, operated, and
controlled by a woman or member of a recognized minority group,
including African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, or
Native American who is a US citizen or permanent resident, and 3)
located in New York City or one of 14 surrounding counties.
Next,
Walter Maxwell (right), SBS Associate Director of External Affairs,
spelled out some of the advantages given to certified companies,
including:
Increased access to bid on City-funded
contracts under $1 million
Exclusive networking opportunities with
government buyers
One-on-one procurement counseling and
assistance with bid preparation
Free advertising in the Online Directory of
Certified Businesses
Exclusive discounts on computers, college and
HPD lead related courses, and much more.
Suzanne
Veira (right), Executive Director of SBS Procurement Initiatives,
pointed out that certain types of businesses are better positioned
to work with the government simply because they sell items and
services government buyers need to purchase. She suggested that to
determine whether they should try to do business with government,
participants should ask themselves:
Are there government agencies that buy my
products or services? Which ones?
Which products and what size bid should I
compete for?
Do I have the staff, equipment, and financing
to submit a competitive bid and deliver the product/service in
accordance with the time and quality specifications?
Do I have the marketing and business
infrastructure to pursue the government procurement process?
For
those who felt pretty sure that their companies have what it takes
to do business with the City, Phyllis Atwater (right), SBS Director
of Certification, did a terrific job with what could have been a
disheartening, mind-numbing process – walking everyone through the
rather daunting eleven-page application, discussing in some detail
the nuts and bolts of what is required to fill it out. (This
procedure was carried forward in the second workshop in which the
completed applications and/or applications-in-process were gone over
and perfected so they would be approved without a hitch.)
Wrapping
up this very instructive evening, CACCI CEO Roy Hastic (right) spoke
about the importance of accessing City resources such as the ones
provided that evening. He added that he’s excited to see not only
New York City focusing on M/WBE certification, but New York State.
Governor Spitzer has just appointed Lieutenant Governor David
Paterson to work with a Tsar to coordinate these efforts at a State
level.
Free group seminars conducted by trained
certification analysts are offered on the 3rd Thursday of
each month from 2 to 4 PM and on the 4th Wednesday from 6
to 7:30 PM at the Department of Small Business Services at 110
Williams Street (between Fulton and John Streets in lower
Manhattan). Pre-registration is required. Call 311 and ask for
"Small Business Seminars" or email businesssolutions@sbs.nyc.gov.
For further information, call (212) 618-8845.
his
district a two-part workshop on how to get certified to do business
with the City, presented by the New York City Department of Small
Business Services (SBS). "I believe it is my duty," Stewart told the
small business owners assembled at PS 269, "to bring the information
to you rather than make you fumble around trying to find out where
to access it in the maze that is our City government. You should
know that there are excellent resources you can tap into and
outstanding people to assist you, several of whom are with us
tonight."
The
workshop "Get Certified!" which the councilmember and SBS
cosponsored with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Caribbean
American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI), and the New York
City Economic Development Corporation, followed up on the passage of
Local Law 129 that directs buyers at New York City agencies to
purchase more goods and services from certified Minority- and
Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) vendors. The purpose is to
reduce disparities and ensure fair participation and equal
opportunity in City procurement.
n
the first workshop, which provided an overview of the program and
application form, Glenis Henriquez, SBS Director of External
Affairs, explained that the law mandates that the City do a certain
percentage of business with "minority" and women-owned businesses.
However, the only way the City can identify these businesses is if
they are certified. "New York City procures $11 billion of stuff
every year," she stated. "So even 10% of that procurement pot is a
lot of money. But you're not going to get any of it unless you're
certified."
Henriquez
explained that to qualify for certification, a company must be 1) in
business for at least a year, 2) at least 51% owned, operated, and
controlled by a woman or member of a recognized minority group,
including African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, or
Native American who is a US citizen or permanent resident, and 3)
located in New York City or one of 14 surrounding counties.
Next,
Walter Maxwell (right), SBS Associate Director of External Affairs,
spelled out some of the advantages given to certified companies,
including:
Suzanne
Veira (right), Executive Director of SBS Procurement Initiatives,
pointed out that certain types of businesses are better positioned
to work with the government simply because they sell items and
services government buyers need to purchase. She suggested that to
determine whether they should try to do business with government,
participants should ask themselves:
For
those who felt pretty sure that their companies have what it takes
to do business with the City, Phyllis Atwater (right), SBS Director
of Certification, did a terrific job with what could have been a
disheartening, mind-numbing process – walking everyone through the
rather daunting eleven-page application, discussing in some detail
the nuts and bolts of what is required to fill it out. (This
procedure was carried forward in the second workshop in which the
completed applications and/or applications-in-process were gone over
and perfected so they would be approved without a hitch.)
Wrapping
up this very instructive evening, CACCI CEO Roy Hastic (right) spoke
about the importance of accessing City resources such as the ones
provided that evening. He added that he’s excited to see not only
New York City focusing on M/WBE certification, but New York State.
Governor Spitzer has just appointed Lieutenant Governor David
Paterson to work with a Tsar to coordinate these efforts at a State
level.
