NYCHA Now

NYCHANow chronicles the hard work of the men and women who make the New York City Housing Authority run, reporting the latest news and happenings.

NYCHA Now
Procurement fair
Highlighted June 2019 

Beneficial Connections

Michael Corwin

On May 2, NYCHA’s M/WBE & S3BC Procurement Fair at the Johnson Community Center at Manhattan’s Johnson Houses drew over 260 M/WBE and S3BC vendors looking to learn about the numerous contracting opportunities available at NYCHA and other organizations – one of the biggest turnouts ever for the annual event.

M/WBEs are “minority- and women-owned business enterprises,” and Section 3 Business Concerns (S3BC) are businesses that are majority-owned by public housing or low-income residents or whose staff is composed of at least 30 percent public housing or low-income residents.

Forty-three exhibitors – including City and State agencies as well as NYCHA’s prime vendors – were on hand to discuss contracting opportunities, along with NYCHA representatives from Procurement, Capital, Operations, IT, Real Estate Development, HR, REES, and Healthy Homes.

“We had a large contingent of NYCHA departments attending this event,” noted Ester Tomicic-Hines, NYCHA’s Director of Vendor Integrity & Supplier Diversity. “This allowed us to connect the M/WBE and S3BC vendors directly to the staff from the NYCHA departments that procure the particular goods and services these vendors provide. We held workshops to inform vendors of our biggest upcoming procurement opportunities, including Real Estate Development projects and Healthy Homes initiatives. We hope the vendors made meaningful connections with NYCHA staff and gained valuable insight into NYCHA’s procurement needs, leading to increased contract awards in the future.”

NYC government has pledged to award $20 billion in contracts to M/WBEs by 2025. NYCHA contributes significantly to this target as it repairs and preserves public housing – it has awarded approximately $1.3 billion in contracts to City-certified M/WBEs since the City’s goal was announced.

“The annual Procurement Fair is instrumental to NYCHA’s efforts to promote supplier diversity and increase contracting opportunities for M/WBEs and S3BCs,” Ms. Tomicic-Hines remarked. “By working together to increase business opportunities, we ensure that all qualified businesses have a fair chance to compete to provide the superior customer service our residents deserve and that helps our city thrive.”