MWBE Program

Governor Cuomo recently signed legislation that reauthorized the NYS Minority & Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) program through 2024, as well as extended the term of MWBE certification from 3 years to 5 years. The legislation also increased the personal net worth cap to $15 million to enable more businesses eligible to be certified, and allows for up to $750,000 in retirement savings to be deducted from personal net worth calculations. Further, agency and authority discretionary purchasing threshold without a formal competitive process was increased to $500,000 for commodities and services relating to technology and to $200,000 for food and milk products.

For further information on the program updates and questions on becoming a NYS-certified MWBE firm, contact Empire State Development’s (ESD) Division of Minority & Women’s Business Development at (855) 373-4692 or mwbebusinessdev@esd.ny.gov