Part 2: Earning Your M/WBE Badge
Let’s get you certified.
Did Part 1 get you excited to work with the city? You’re reading Part 2, so we’re just going to assume it did! Today, we’ll be talking about eligibility requirements and applying for M/WBE certification. We can roughly divide the process into three stages: preparation, application, and results. The preparation stage involves meeting eligibility requirements, sourcing supporting documents and IDs, and considering application add-ons. The second stage is exactly what it sounds like — applying for the M/WBE certification. The last stage is finalizing your application with the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), the agency responsible for vetting and supporting M/WBEs in the city.
Preparing your application
This stage is probably the most time-intensive, but will save you many headaches if done right.
- First, you want to make sure your business is eligible to apply for M/WBE certification. SBS has outlined its five requirements simply here.
2. If your business satisfies the eligibility requirements, start gathering the
required supporting documents. SBS has created a document checklist here.
Note that the last six documents listed depend on the legal structure of your
business (i.e. sole proprietorship, LLC, LLP, corporation, etc.)
3. Businesses that have been M/WBE-certified by one of SBS’ partner
agencies are eligible for an expedited application process. If you’re unsure
whether your business has been certified already, search for it in the partner
agencies’ vendor directories below:
- New York City School Construction Authority — select “Yes” under the “MWLBE Certified” filter before searching
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey — click “M/W/S/DBE Directory” and only select MBE, MWBE, and WBE certifications before searching
- New York State Department of Economic Development — click “Search the Directory” under “NYS Directory of Certified Firms”
- Women Presidents’ Educational Organization — their vendor directory is not publicly available, but you can reach their office at: (212) 688–4114
- New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council Inc. — their vendor directory is not publicly available, but you can reach their office at: (212) 502–5663
If your business has been certified by one of these partner agencies, make
sure to include it later in your application. If your business hasn’t been
certified, no worries! You’ll be completing a standard application.
4. Register to do business with the City of New York.
- If you’ve already registered, login to your Payee Information Portal (PIP) account and retrieve your FMS Vendor Number.
- If you’re not registered, create a PIP account here by clicking the “Activate” button on the left-hand side. We recommend watching the PIP New Vendor video tutorial before you get started. Once your business is registered, you should receive an FMS Vendor Number.
5. Decide whether you want to simultaneously apply for M/WBE certifications for the following city/state agencies:
- New York State Department of Economic Development
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
- New York City School Construction Authority
Your M/WBE application for the City of New York is an opportunity to also
get certified by one or all of these partner agencies, and work with their
jurisdictions. In addition to your completed NYC application, you will need
to submit partner-specific forms. Here are the required add-ons: New York
State, Port Authority, and School Construction Authority.
You are now more than halfway through! In the next stage, you only have to provide the information you’ve collected and prepared.
Applying
When you are ready to apply, you can choose between applying online or applying by mail. If you want to apply by mail, there’s an application for businesses that are sole proprietorships, and a different application for all other businesses. Make sure you complete the right one!
Throughout the application, you will be asked to provide information about your business, including ownership, management, finances, operations, and job experience. Keep the supporting documents you collected in Stage 1 nearby for easy access.
In Part 3 of our series, we cover the “business profile and job experience” section in depth. This section helps City agencies find your business in the Online Directory and evaluate its suitability for particular projects. Check out our post to learn how to use the right keywords and select the appropriate National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP) codes.
Ironing out the kinks (with support!)
Once you submit your application online or mail it in, SBS will start reviewing your request for certification. You can track the status of your application on SBS Connect under “My Records.”
If any questions or concerns come up during its review, SBS will reach out for clarification. You’ll have the chance to add to and revise your application materials as needed, so don’t let perfectionism keep you from submitting. Remember: SBS wants you to get certified! M/WBE certification is less like a one-shot college application, and more of an ongoing conversation.
Should SBS accept your application, your business will be a certified M/WBE for the next five years. You’ll be prompted to renew your M/WBE status once the certification expires. If, however, SBS denies your application, you will have the right to appeal the decision. Instructions on how to appeal will be included in your denial notice. On average, most businesses receive a certification decision within 6 weeks of submitting a complete application. Sole proprietor applications generally take even less time to review.
If you get stuck at any point in this process, don’t hesitate to book an appointment at the SBS Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). The Center provides one-on-one assistance to businesses interested in local/state/federal contracting and certifications — a great supplement to this primer series. We look forward to seeing your business on the city directory this year!
If you enjoyed this article on the ins and outs of M/WBE certification, check out our other posts in this five-part series:
Part 1: New Year, New M/WBE
Part 3: The Art of the Profile
Part 4: Meet some M/WBEs
Part 5: More M/WBE Resources
If you have any unanswered questions about the M/WBE process, or want to get in touch, contact us at design@nycopportunity.nyc.gov or @NYCOpportunity.
