New York, NY - March 21st, 2014 - The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that it plans to hold a conference on Friday, March 28, from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for small businesses, especially minority-owned, women-owned and certified disadvantaged businesses (MWDBEs) that hope to bid for MTA construction projects intended to rebuild and fortify infrastructure damaged by Superstorm Sandy.
“Our transit network is still recovering from Superstorm Sandy,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “In fact, we have years of work just to get where we were the day before Sandy. It is a monumental job, but we’re trying to look at this work as an opportunity to develop a larger pool of qualified contractors, who represent the diversity of the business community and the region we serve. Our goal for Sandy-related work has always been to maximize contract opportunities from our pool of certified MWDBEs.”
Small Businesses Welcome at the MTA
The goal of the conference is to provide information and technical assistance to small businesses interested in working with the MTA on these and other projects. The program is part of a broader MTA effort to reach out to small businesses who want to participate in MTA procurement opportunities.
Historically, small businesses have been prevented from participating in large transportation procurements. Over the past several years, the MTA has launched an authority-wide program to support small business participation, especially MWDBEs, to participate in MTA procurement opportunities. The MTA program is aligned with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s directive for 20% MWBE participation on all public procurements. To date, the MTA has exceeded this goal through its award-winning Mentoring Programs.
The MTA’s Small Business Development Program includes two small business mentoring programs that offer direct contract opportunities for pre-qualified, certified minority, women and disadvantaged firms. According to Michael J. Garner, MTA’s Chief Diversity Officer who oversees the program, “Over the last four years, the program has awarded over $100 million in contract awards to over 113 firms, creating 1622 new jobs within the 14 counties served by the MTA. Companies interested in entering the transportation market for both current MTA work and recovery and resiliency projects are encouraged to attend this program,” said Garner.
New York State’s Fix and Fortify program is funded through the Federal Government and FEMA and has allocated almost $3.8 billion to the MTA for recovery and resiliency work. An additional $4.5 billion is projected for future resiliency projects. The March 28 program will review new contract opportunities, provide technical information on how to bid on these projects and introduce primes who are active in the expanding recovery and resiliency transportation market.
Conference speakers include: Anthony Carr, Deputy Regional Administrator for Region 2, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration; Alphons B. David, Deputy Secretary for Civil Rights and Workforce, Office of the New York State Governor; and MTA Chairman & CEO Thomas F. Prendergast, among other MTA professionals.
Learn More and Register. For more information on the program and how to register, please visit: www.diversityagenda.com/mtasandy or call 718.646.2700 x103.