Mission Statement

1. To secure support and a strong voice for a Fair Share of New Jersey State Contracts for Small, Minority and Women-owned Firms (SBE/MBE/WBE) coordinating individuals, firms, ethnic minority and gender-specific organizations
2. To educate State Decision-Makers of Inequitable Allocation of State Contracts.
3. To provide the catalyst for the Administration and the Legislators to understand the current business environment for small businesses since Executive Order #73 that established a 25% SBE Goal.
4. To support revised reasonable State-wide Goals, Policies, Tracking, Reporting and Procedures re: SBE/MBE/WBE participation on State-funded projects.  Compliance would apply to ALL Organizations that receive State Funds – Departments, Authorities, Commissions, Agencies, Colleges, Counties, Municipalities, et al.  Accomplish this via Governor’s Executive Order, or through Legislation, or a combination thereof.
5. To establish centralized SBE/MBE/WBE Certification/Pre-Qualification application procedures, and amendments to the current five categories of SBEs adopted by NJ Commerce and Economic Growth Commission.
6. To establish a centralized tracking and reporting system consistent for all Organizations identified above.
7.  Develop incentives and sanctions to encourage participation in the Program.

WHY IS SMALL BUSINESS SHARE IMPORTANT

- Small Business is the backbone of New Jersey. While politicians ponder New Jersey’s critical budget woes, hundreds of small businesses struggle to survive.

- The State of New Jersey abandoned its successful Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Programs that provided a door-opener for disadvantaged small businesses since the 1970s. Surrounding states strengthen their programs annually to help level the playing field for disadvantaged firms. BUT NJ seems oblivious to the crisis and issues in our small business community. Only 8.5% of NJ contracts were awarded to MWBEs in 2008 – most recent year figures have not been published.

- The State of NJ's 25% Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Program is spurious– as 96% of NJ Businesses qualify as SBEs in 6 size categories. A weak imitation program -"no teeth in it".

M          - Multiple Agencies, Departments, Commissions, & Colleges ignore the 25% SBE goals. RESULT: Major “lock out” for New Jersey’s Small Businesses.

2.           - Because 96.4% of NJ’s businesses qualify as SBEs, the SBE set-aside of 25% is grossly inadequate.   Large businesses capture 75% of State Contracts – yet are only 3.6% of business registrations.

3.           - The Current Categories of SBEs cause more inequities for small businesses in bidding and proposals. It is a bureaucratic minefield of duplication and inefficiency.

4.           - Even if Primes identify SBEs at contract signing, many never award contracts or issue Notices to Proceed to their SBEs.

             - The tracking reports only summarize contracts; change orders and payments to both Prime and SBE must also be tracked to secure accurate data.

For more information on how you can participate please contact:

Nancy C. Myers, President (856) 829-7942