Minority and women-owned businesses claimed a record 21 percent share of state contracts awarded in the 2012-2013 fiscal year, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced today at the start of the third annual state MWBE Forum in Albany.
In all, about $1.49 billion in contracts from 97 public agencies and authorities were awarded to business enterprises with minority or female owners in the fiscal year that ended March 31.
Cuomo in 2011 established by executive order a statewide team to explore ways to eliminate barriers and expand the participation of minority- and women-owned businesses in state contracting. The team”™s key initiatives included an improved online reporting system, a streamlined certification process and stepped-up outreach efforts. State officials said those measures helped increase MWBE utilization of state contracting beyond the 20 percent goal set by Cuomo in his first State of the State address.
“The success of thousands of minority- and women- owned firms seeking to compete and advance in the marketplace is critical to igniting economic growth and spurring prosperity in all of our communities statewide,” Cuomo said in today”™s announcement. Achieving the 20 percent goal, though significant, “is just the beginning,” he said.
The two-day forum at the Empire State Convention Center in Albany, expected to draw 1,800 persons, allows emerging businesses to learn about the state procurement process, attend information sessions, and connect with decision makers from both the public and private sectors to grow their business and increase competitiveness.
Whenever the word “goal” is used, you can usually interpret that to mean “quota” — and that means that we’re not seeing less discrimination, but more discrimination, or at best as substitution of politically correct discrimination for the politically incorrect kind. Why not just ignore race, ethnicity, and sex and award contracts to the lowest bidder? And it the state is discriminating, here’s hoping someone sues it.