SBS
Business Development — what it controls, and what it wants from youNew York City Department of Small Business Services does not build anything and does not award construction contracts. It is the city M/WBE certification and business assistance, and it controls city M/WBE certification, technical assistance and small-business programs. That makes it a gate rather than a customer: get it wrong and the job you wanted is gone before anyone reads your number.
Who this applies to
Small, minority-owned and women-owned construction firms.
What you have to do
Apply for the appropriate NYC certification and keep the vendor profile current.
What firms get wrong
Explain the difference between certification, a contract goal and an actual subcontract opportunity.
Primes shopping for certified subs post in Subs Wanted.
This is a plain-language guide to a public rule, not legal advice. The controlling text is the rule itself and the contract you signed.
The rest of the rules: how to bid in New York. The owners who actually award the work: agencies.