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City of Albany Minority/ Women’s Business Enterprise Program Opportunities for Your Business You’ve worked hard, gone through all the effort and have your own business. Congratulations! Now you are looking for work opportunities but may find it difficult to break in to your field, which may be inhospitable to outsiders. Certification as an MWBE in the City of Albany Minority/Women’s Business Enterprise Program may help. The City of Albany recognizes it is essential for socially and economically disadvantaged people to have the opportunity to fully participate in our economy, to achieve social and economic equity and improve our City. The City fosters and promotes the development of Minority and Women Business Enterprises, and requires MWBE involvement and diverse employment in its construction contracts. Do you need some assistance setting up your business? Here are several resources that can help you establish and grow a business. 1. Community Loan Fund Paul Stewart, [PHONE REDACTED], [EMAIL REDACTED], www.mycommunityloanfund.org 2. Small Business Development Center, SUNY Albany Matthew Hosek, [PHONE REDACTED], [EMAIL REDACTED], 3. Empire State Development maintains extensive statewide lists of MWBEs, DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) and SDVOBs (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business) for contracting opportunities with agencies and municipali ties across New York State. This list is used by contractors working on state-funded City of Albany projects. ESD has a separate certification process. See . City of Albany Minority/Women’s Business Enterprise Office City Hall, Room 307 Albany, New York 12207 [PHONE REDACTED] Email: [EMAIL REDACTED] Web: www.albanyny.gov; under “Find” on the home page, click on “MWBE”. ---PAGE BREAK--- How it works: The City MWBE office publishes an online list of certified MWBEs. This list provides contractors who work on City construction projects with certified MWBE subcontractors to hire. All City-funded construction contracts require the following MWBE participation: 1. 7.5% of the overall cost of the contract must be paid to certified MWBE subcontractors. 2. 17.8% of the total hours worked on a contract must be performed by minority/ women labor. When prime contractors prepare to bid on a City of Albany-funded construction project, they find subcontractors from the certified MWBE directory to fulfill the 7.5% requirement. MWBEs can also approach prime contractors and offer their services on upcoming contracts. Finding City of Albany Bids Bids are available on the Albany website: www. albanyny.gov; in the “Find” column in the middle of the page, click on “Contract and Sup ply”; scroll down under “Legal Notices”. Fill out the request form and the bids will be emailed to you. Bids are also published in the in the Albany Times Union and on BidNet. Certification To certify as an Albany MWBE, the business must be at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by minorities and/or women who must exercise independent, routine, ongo ing management responsibilities of the daily operations of the business. The business could be a corporation, partnership or sole propri etorship, and must produce standard business documentation to prove ownership, legality and compliance to qualify. “Minority” is defined as: ■ ■Black or African American: Persons having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.* ■ ■Hispanic/Latino: Persons of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Ri can, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. ■ ■Asian or Pacific Islander: Persons having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subconti nent, the Pacific islands, Hawaii or Samoa.* ■ ■Native American or Alaskan Native: Persons having origins in any of the original peoples of North, Central and South America, who maintain cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition.* *Non Hispanic or Latino How to Apply: To apply for certification as an Albany MWBE, download the application from the MWBE page on the website. Go to: http://www.albanyny.gov. On the home page, under the “Find” column, click on “MWBE.” OR you can pick up an application at the MWBE Office, Room 307 in City Hall. Fill in the form completely, and send the form and all documents to: City of Albany MWBE Office City Hall Room 307 24 Eagle St. Albany NY 12207 You will receive a reply or answer within about two weeks. For more information or questions, contact the MWBE Officer at [PHONE REDACTED] or email [EMAIL REDACTED].