Laland Baptiste is proud of our M/WBE certification. To learn more about the M/WBE certification process, please read further below.
About Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Certification
The Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Certification Program connects certified businesses with opportunities to sell their products and services to New York City agencies. The program’s goal is to promote fairness and equity in City procurement processes by providing services designed to strengthen the ability of certified M/WBEs to increase their capacity and effectively contribute to the City’s economy.
Certified businesses obtain greater access to, and information about, contracting opportunities through classes, networking events, and targeted solicitations. They receive technical assistance to better compete for contracts and benefit from inclusion in the City’s ONLINE DIRECTORY OF CERTIFIED BUSINESSES. The directory promotes M/WBE businesses to purchasers.
To be eligible for M/WBE Certification, a business must be:
- A Sole Proprietorship, General Partnership, Limited Partnership, Limited Liability Partnership, Limited Liability Company or Corporation. Not-for-Profits are ineligible.
- Authorized to do business in New York State.
- At least 51% owned, controlled and operated by US citizen(s) or permanent resident(s) who is/are member(s) of a designated minority group(s) including Black, Hispanic, Asian Pacific, and Asian-Indian OR a woman or women.
- An eligible business also must have:
- Been selling products or services for a period of at least one year prior to the date of application.
- A real and substantial presence in the geographic market of New York City, which includes the five boroughs of New York City and the following counties: Nassau, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester in New York, and Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic in New Jersey. Businesses located outside of New York City must have a significant tie to the City’s business community (e.g., have derived 25% or more of gross receipts from business conducted in the City, possess a license issued by the City, etc.).
Note: If a business is M/WBE or LBE certified with one of the NYC Department of Small Business Services’ partner organizations, the business may be eligible to submit a Fast Track Application. Businesses that have previously applied for M/WBE Certification or are currently under review with the City of New York are not eligible for a Fast Track Application. Before beginning this application, businesses should contact the organization with which they are certified with to find out whether they qualify for a Fast Track Application.
The NYC Department of Small Business Services’ partner organizations are:
- New York City School Construction Authority
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
- Women President’s Educational Organization
- New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council Inc.
- New York State Department of Economic Development