New York City's small businesses are the backbone of the local economy, and it is crucial for the government to support them in accessing public procurement opportunities. In an interview with Nantasha Williams, Council Member of New York City Council, we discussed the initiatives and programs that she has championed to support small businesses in the city, as well as her advice for small business owners who are interested in selling to governments.

Nantasha Williams is an accomplished community leader and political organizer, currently serving as the New York City Council Member for Council District 27 in Southeast Queens. Her district includes communities such as Jamaica, St. Albans, Queens Village, Cambria Heights, Springfield Gardens, and Addisleigh Park. Nantasha has a strong commitment to effecting positive change in her community and is dedicated to creating new economic opportunities, youth development, affordable housing, and protecting seniors.

She has been nationally recognized as a political strategist and has devoted her life to serving marginalized communities across the country. In 2014, she was appointed as the Executive Director of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, where she fought for policies that aimed to improve the well-being of people of color in low-income communities. She is also a board member of Life Camp Inc., a gun violence prevention program, led the SEQ Wellness Ambassador Initiative, which provided wellness checks and online resources to vulnerable residents in her district, and  founded the New York City Black Women's Political Club, which empowers Black women in politics. 

How has she supported small businesses in NYC? During her time working for the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) Redevelopment program, Nantasha Williams created a community advisory council and a business development committee to certify people with the Port Authority and increase contract opportunities at the airport. When she and her team built their office, they hired all local firms and lease agreements with terminal developers were negotiated to prioritize local businesses in over 30 zip codes for contract procurement. However, she mentioned “The biggest barrier is always access to capital for small firms. It’s very cumbersome, and it's really hard for smaller firms to work at risk”.

From her current role as a New York City Council Member, Nantasha is focused on helping businesses within her district leverage the 18 billion dollar project near them by working with the port authority and JFK advisory council to minimize barriers for M/WBEs to be awarded contracts.

What is her opinion on how government agencies can improve their support for the growth and success of small businesses in the City? Council Member Williams believes that a way of improving NYC government’s support towards small businesses in the City is by offering “more training and education”, considering that “small business owners often lack the skills and knowledge needed to successfully run a business”.

As Nantasha puts it, “Government agencies can provide more training and education programs to help small business owners develop the skills they need to succeed. Ultimately, the key is to listen to the needs of small business owners and provide the support and resources they need to succeed”.

What does she think about how the City can ensure government procurement processes are fair and transparent, especially when it comes to opportunities awarded to small businesses? In terms of ensuring fair and transparent government procurement processes, Council Member Williams emphasized the need that NYC government agencies can provide more training and support to help small businesses compete effectively for government contracts. It is also important to establish clear and consistent procurement policies and procedures that prioritize transparency and fairness, including setting clear criteria for selecting vendors and providing independent oversight mechanisms to ensure fair and unbiased procurement processes. 

What is her advice to small business owners who are interested in selling to governments, but may not know where to start or what resources are available to them? For small business owners who are interested in selling to governments, Council Member Williams advised them to research government procurement processes and look for small business support programs. Attending government procurement events and building relationships with procurement officials can also be helpful. “Be persistent and patient, as winning government contracts can take time and effort. With these steps, small business owners can position themselves to successfully sell to governments”, she said.

How does Nantasha think New York City’s government can best support Woman-owned, Minority-owned and Veteran-owned small businesses in accessing public procurement opportunities? Nantasha believes “New York City's government can best support local-owned, woman-owned, minority-owned, and veteran-owned small businesses in accessing public procurement opportunities by setting specific goals for procurement from these businesses, streamlining the procurement process, providing access to funding, offering training and education, and establishing mentorship and networking opportunities”. We at Glass agree with this statement as we believe that despite the implementation of numerous programs and initiatives aimed at fostering the growth of small businesses in New York City, the current statistics do not indicate that the objective has been fully achieved.

Based on the New York City Comptroller, Brad Lander, “Annual Report on M/WBE Procurement: FY22 Findings and Recommendations”, Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) continue to win only a small share of the value of City contracts. Black M/WBEs, Hispanic American M/WBEs, Asian American women-owned MBEs, and Native American M/WBEs each represent less than 2% of the value of all Fiscal Year 2022 registered contracts subject to LL 174 participation goals. M/WBEs win contracts that are much smaller on average, and few City-certified M/WBEs actually do business with the City.

To truly make a difference for M/WBEs, New York City must persist in its endeavors to establish programs and initiatives. “By implementing these programs and policies, NYC's government can support these businesses in accessing public procurement opportunities and help them grow and succeed”, Nantasha said.

What we want you to remember from this interview:

Are you a government official?

📌  Hire local firms and businesses.

📌  Prioritize local and small businesses.

📌  Provide access to funding.

📌  Minimize barriers for them.

📌  Set specific goals for procurement from small businesses.

📌  Offer more support, training, and education.

📌  Listen to the needs of small business owners.

📌  Establish mentorship and networking opportunities.

📌  Streamline the procurement process.

📌  Establish clear and consistent procurement policies and procedures.

Are you a small business owner?

📌  Research procurement processes and small businesses support programs.

📌  Attend government procurement events.

📌  Build relationships with procurement officials.

📌  Be persistent and patient.

Nantasha Williams is one of those people who seek to make a difference in the growth and development of her community. We admire your will, enthusiasm, knowledge, and vision for the growth of small and local businesses in New York City. We can't wait to know what else you will do for New York City and the inclusion and development of small and local businesses.

This blog was written by Gisela Montes, GovTech Community Lead at Glass.