NERA to Examine Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Share of NY State Contracts

08 November 2007

Empire State Development (ESD), New York's chief economic development agency, recently announced that after a competitive process, it has selected NERA Economic Consulting to conduct a statewide study into the participation of minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs) in New York State contracts. The project team will be led by NERA Vice President Dr. Jon Wainwright, an economist with 18 years of experience analyzing the effects of discrimination on minorities and women; and NERA's long-time colleague, attorney Colette Holt. The team will assess whether, over a period of years, a disparity exists between the number of qualified MWBEs in various regions of the state available to perform state contracts for commodities, services, and construction and the contracts awarded in each region. The study's findings will be used to help determine what changes should be made to state MWBE policies to maximize MWBE participation in state procurement.

Read ESD's press release to learn more.

About NERA

NERA Economic Consulting (www.nera.com) is a global firm of experts dedicated to applying economic, finance, and quantitative principles to complex business and legal challenges. For more than six decades, we have been creating strategies, studies, reports, expert testimony, and policy recommendations for government authorities and the world’s leading law firms and corporations. We bring academic rigor, objectivity, and real-world industry experience to issues arising from competition, regulation, public policy, strategy, finance, and litigation.

NERA’s clients value our ability to apply and communicate state-of-the-art approaches clearly and convincingly, our commitment to deliver unbiased findings, and our reputation for quality and independence. Our clients rely on the integrity and skills of our unparalleled team of economists and other experts backed by the resources and reliability of one of the world’s largest economic consultancies. Continuing our legacy as the first international economic consultancy, NERA serves clients from major cities across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.