"Contracting with women and minority owned business has always been a priority for the Authority," Kimberley A. Minkel, NFTA executive director said. "In supporting Governor Andrew Cuomo vision, we've worked hard to grow these relationships and it's paying off for everyone in the community, because a diverse local economy is a strong local economy."
For 2016, the NFTA aimed at awarding 17 percent of its contracts to disadvantaged businesses, stretching beyond the national average of 16 percent. It reached 17.14 percent, exceeding 100 percent of the goal. The NFTA was the only top 50 transit system in the United States to reach its goal.
Transportation authorities around the country set annual goals for contracting with businesses owned by minorities or women. The strategy is to foster the development of organizations that may have been disadvantaged in the past. The FTA tracks these targets and reports on them yearly. The most recent report can be found at the FTA's site, www.transit.dot.gov, under Top 50 Goal Attainment.