Governor Kathy Hochul on July 23 announced the Empire State MWBE Hub, a new mobile-friendly, cloud-based platform intended to modernize the State’s Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) program. The Hub is designed to streamline MWBE certification and recertification, appeals, customer service and the certified-business directory and is available at mwbe.esd.ny.gov.
State officials say the Hub replaces a decade-old system and introduces a redesigned user experience, improved workflow tools and expanded data analytics to speed reviews and connect certified firms with contracting opportunities more quickly.
What the Hub will do
The Empire State MWBE Hub will support:
- Electronic submission and management of certification and recertification applications;
- Communication between applicants and certification staff and a more organized appeals process;
- A searchable directory of New York State-certified MWBE firms to help agencies, prime contractors and the public identify vendors by name, location, industry and certification type;
- Customer-service, helpdesk, outreach and event-tracking tools; and
- Reporting and data analytics to inform program management and improve service.
Empire State Development’s Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development developed the platform. The release states that compliance-related functions will remain in the existing system while the new certified-business directory will serve as a bridge between platforms.
Officials and local coordination
Governor Hochul described the Hub as part of the administration’s effort to expand economic opportunity for MWBEs across New York. New York State Chief Diversity Officer Julissa Gutierrez, Empire State Development President and CEO Hope Knight, and ESD Division Executive Director Jason M. Clark are quoted in the announcement describing improvements in accessibility, transparency and program management.
The announcement also says the Hub will support coordination with other certifying entities across the state, including New York City’s Small Business Services, Monroe County and the County of Erie and City of Buffalo Joint Certification Committee (JCC), which are intended to help streamline certification for businesses in those jurisdictions.
Background and context
The release notes that under the Governor’s leadership the State reached a record 31.86 percent MWBE utilization for state contracts (more than $3.3 billion). It also references a 2025 law that raised the MWBE discretionary purchasing threshold to $1.5 million and credits an $11 million FY2023 investment with helping eliminate a prior certification backlog, with applications now reviewed “in as little as 90 days,” according to the state.
Officials say the Hub aims to reduce administrative burdens, improve transparency into the certification process and shorten the time it takes for certified businesses to connect with opportunities. No local rollout dates, trainings, or Buffalo-specific implementation details were included in the announcement.
