The New York State MWBE Mentor-Protégé Program aims to build the capacity of MWBE protégés to participate as subcontractors and suppliers on state contracts.
New York State Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise Mentor-Protégé Program
Overview
The New York State Mentor Protégé Program (MPP) aims to expand the capacity, technical knowledge, and participation of MWBEs in state contracting opportunities. The MPP is administered by the Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development (DMWBD), which approves and monitors mentor-protégé engagements.
MPP will be implemented on predetermined State contracts. DMWBD, along with State Agencies and Authorities, will assess which projects are suitable for MPP consideration based on industry opportunity, project size, waiver trends, and MWBE growth potential.
Eligibility
Who may participate as a Mentor?
Any prime contractor that provides professional services to the State of New York is eligible to participate as a mentor to MWBEs in the Mentor-Protégé Program.
Who may participate as a Protégé?
Protégés must be a New York State Certified Minority or Women-owned Business Enterprise; they must employ at least one person who provides services to clients of the Protégé other than the Mentor; and they cannot subcontract any portion of any work Protégé performs for the Mentor as part of their Mentorship Agreement.
In addition to the above representations of the Protégé, the Division strongly encourages that the Protégé have a physical presence in the State of New York, with a gross revenue of at least $100,000 and less than $5 Million, and has been a participant of the NYS Business Growth Accelerator (BGA). To learn more about the BGA program, visit: esd.ny.gov/mwbe-business-growth-accelerator-program. However, any certified NYS MWBE firm is acceptable. Access to DMWBD’s full directory of certified firms is available at: https://ny.newnycontracts.com.
How to Apply
The MPP will be implemented on predetermined State contracts. DMWBD, along with State Agencies and Authorities, will assess which projects are suitable for MPP consideration based on industry opportunity, project size, waiver trends, and MWBE growth potential.
Any State contract that includes an MPP will have it mentioned within the RFP when it is released for bid. When submitting a bid for any RFP that contains an MPP, the bidder must submit an MPP Agreement.
After respondents have submitted their proposals and the State Agency and/or Authority has selected a winning bidder, DMWBD will meet with both the Prime/Mentor and the potential MWBE/Protégé to review their submitted plans. The submitted plan should address the protégé’s participation on the underlying State Contract, determine milestones for technical and capacity building during project phases, and confirm reporting requirements listed within the MPP Agreement.
For questions regarding the MPP please contact the DMWBD’s Business Development Team at [email protected].