The Mission of UAlbany’s Supplier Diversity Program
We are committed to ensuring New York State (NYS) certified Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses (SDVOBs) have equal opportunity to participate in procurements at the University at Albany.
We ensure equal opportunity through the establishment of state-mandated participation goals. By evaluating every procurement for MWBE and SDVOB compliance, we encourage fair, unbiased competition and foster inclusive economic opportunity for NYS businesses to provide goods and services to UAlbany.
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- Procurement Services’ Role in Supplier Diversity
- Supplier Diversity Definitions
- Procurement Guidelines
- Supplier Diversity Policies
- Additional Information for Vendors
Procurement Services’ Role in Supplier Diversity
We have a dedicated staff member who evaluates every procurement with respect to supplier diversity compliance.
MWBE and SDVOB participation goals are assigned to every applicable procurement, and vendors are required to demonstrate good faith efforts to achieve the assigned goals advertised on the procurement.
Our staff adheres to all applicable policies and procedures to ensure supplier diversity compliance is achieved throughout the life of a procurement.
Questions? Please contact Compliance Coordinator Mara Grady.
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Supplier Diversity Definitions
MBE: New York State certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise
WBE: New York State certified Woman-owned Business Enterprise
MWBEs: New York State certified Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises
SDVOB: New York State certified Service-disabled Veteran Owned Business
Prime Contractor: The primary vendor responsible for contract execution and completion
Subcontractor: A vendor hired by the prime contractor to complete a specialized portion of the contract
Good Faith Efforts: Legitimate proof that actions were taken by the prime contractor to include MWBE and/or SDVOB vendors in a procurement. Examples include but are not limited to:
- Documented communication efforts soliciting participation from MWBEs and/or SDVOBs
- A list of MWBEs and/or SDVOBs that were solicited
- Actions taken by the contractor to assess the ability of MWBEs and/or SDVOBs
Here are additional examples of good faith efforts.
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Procurement Guidelines
Any commodity or service procurement below $25,000 and any construction contract below $100,000 is automatically exempt from supplier diversity participation goals.
Each year, SUNY Administration creates a pre-approved list detailing categories of procurements that are excluded and exempt from participation goals. We consider this list in our initial evaluation of goals when a procurement request is received.
When a contract with supplier diversity participation goals is awarded, our designated compliance coordinator works with the prime contractor to achieve those assigned goals.
If the goals cannot be achieved, a participation waiver must be completed with evidence of good faith efforts to explain why the goals aren’t met.
If the vendor fails to work with our compliance coordinator to either achieve the goals or provide good faith effort documentation for a waiver request, it could result in finding of noncompliance, non-responsibility and a suspension or termination of the contract.
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Supplier Diversity Policies
Our office follows all New York State laws and SUNY policies that govern supplier diversity participation requirements.
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New York State Laws
New York State Laws
Executive Law Article 15-A mandates New York State agencies establish participation goals for MWBEs.
Executive Article 17-B mandates the establishment of participation goals for SDVOBs.
SUNY Policies
SUNY Policies
SUNY Policy 7556 outlines procurement opportunities for MWBEs.
SUNY Policy 7557 provides guidelines for participation by MWBEs with respect to SUNY contracts.
SUNY Policy 7564 provides guidelines for participation by SDVOBs with Respect to SUNY contracts.
Additional Information for Vendors
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Become a New York State certified MWBE or SDVOB
Become a New York State certified MWBE or SDVOB
Interested in getting your business certified? Visit these New York State websites to determine if your business meets the requirements:
Reporting Requirements
Reporting Requirements
In adherence to Executive Law Article 15-A, all prime contractors must submit a utilization plan to identify which certified MWBE and/or SDVOBs they are going to subcontract a portion of the work to. This must be submitted by the prime contractor prior to the award of a state contract.
Our office then reviews the submission and ensures the participation of those certified MWBE and/or SDVOB vendors meets the required goals.
Participation of MWBEs and SDVOBs on state contracts is tracked and monitored in the New York State Contract System (NYSCS) throughout the life of a contract.
Prime contractors are required to submit their utilization plan into the NYSCS and document all payments made to MWBE and SDVOB subcontractors. Additionally, compliance reports must be submitted through the NYSCS.
For construction-related contracts, reports are due monthly. For all other contracts, reports are required quarterly.
Participation Waivers
Participation Waivers
If a prime contractor cannot meet the required participation goals, they must provide good faith efforts to try to achieve the goals as justification for a waiver request.
Our compliance coordinator works with the prime contractor to perform and document good faith efforts to include MWBE and/or SDVOBs in the contract.
After these efforts have been communicated and documented with our office, we work with the prime contractor to submit either a full or partial participation waiver detailing why the goals are not met.
The waiver then gets submitted to SUNY administration for review and is subsequently sent to Empire State Development for approval.