Making the Grade is an annual report that issues letter grades to City agencies based on their level of success spending with minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs). The goal of Making the Grade is to shine a light on the City’s spending with minority- and women-owned firms and encourage all City agencies to increase M/WBE utilization. Starting Fiscal Year 21, the grades are based on the framework of Local Law 174 of 2019 which set M/WBE participation goals for Mayoral agencies across various industries. Each year, the report assigns letter grades to 33 mayoral agencies plus the Comptroller’s Office. Unlike other M/WBE reporting produced by the City of New York, Making the Grade measures the actual spending of each agency in a fiscal year, not the registered value of contracts which may or may not result in actual spending and can often span multiple years.
Making the Grade
New York City Agency Report Card on Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises
Grading New York City
In an effort to boost the City’s M/WBE spending and increase transparency, Comptroller Stringer introduced the inaugural Making the Grade report in 2014. This annual report grades mayoral agencies on their M/WBE spending in the prior fiscal year, using the framework of Local Law 174 of 2019 (LL 174), which established a series of goals for M/WBE participation in public contracting.