Photos credit: Isseu Diouf Campbell
On November 10, 2021, The NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) and administration officials joined the construction industry and local elected leaders to launch a new DDC Mentoring Program to increase business opportunities for qualified Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) and small businesses. Modeled after successful programs at the NYC School Construction Authority (SCA) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the program is the first of its type for a New York City agency.
The new Mentoring Program will help businesses grow to increase their financial capacity and prepare them to compete for open-market contracts. Businesses accepted into the program will receive:
*Detailed assistance from construction industry experts
*Tailored business management and growth planning support
*Project-specific assistance
*Access to a network of construction businesses and exclusive networking events
*Trainings and resources to improve their ability to work with City agencies successfully
*Exclusive opportunities to bid on specially designated construction projects valued at up to $1.5 million
*Eligibility to enroll in the Graduate Mentoring Program and compete for projects valued at up to $3 million
Through DDC’s partnership with the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), participants in the Mentoring Program will also have access to SBS staff, capital opportunities via SBS’s capital growth programs, and SBS’s workforce development programs to support businesses’ administrative capacity.
To be eligible for the new program, firms must be in the construction industry, have been in business for at least one year and must be certified by the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) as an M/WBE or “small business” (an independently owned and operated non-M/WBE with average annual gross earnings between $150,000 and $500,000 during the last three calendar years.)
Firms also must meet minimum requirements for annual gross earnings and have appropriate references. Businesses in general contracting, concrete, electrical, HVAC, mechanical, and plumbing services are all encouraged to apply.
Businesses interested in DDC’s Mentoring Program should register as a “Bidder/Proposer/Mentor” at https://ddcanywhere.nyc, click on the Mentoring Access Portal (MAP) icon and complete the Eligibility Screening Questionnaire to determine if they meet the preliminary qualifications. Upon completion and prior qualification approval, businesses will receive access to the Mentoring Program application.
To learn more about how eligible firms can become certified as an M/WBE, please visit Certify With the City. Firms applying for the program must also sign up and file disclosures in PASSPort, the City’s digital Procurement, and Sourcing Solutions Portal.
Firms with further questions about the new DDC Mentoring Program should email DDC at: businessdevelopment@ddc.nyc.gov.
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