DASNY-Sponsored Event Smashing Success at NYS MWBE Forum

More than 2,000 registrants met in Albany for Governor Cuomo’s Sixth Annual New York State
MWBE Forum. DASNY staff members were there to help firms build the connections they need
to work with us — the nation’s largest issuer of low-cost, tax-exempt bonds and one of its
biggest public builders. 

While members of DASNY’s professional staff were positioned at key panels throughout the two-day Forum held on October 5 and 6, the Authority’s role was punctuated by an hour-long meet and greet that was standing-room only with more than 200 people in the room. 

DASNY President & CEO Gerrard P. Bushell delivered a keynote address at the DASNY event and opened the October 5 panels that covered contracting opportunities for finance, accounting and investments. In both cases, Dr. Bushell described how DASNY is providing its clients with greater flexibility and high-level service. The more DASNY does for them, the more it can do to increase the capacity and prospects for MWBE firms, he said. 

“By leading on MWBE contract participation, DASNY is helping to broaden opportunity and increase the dimensions of our economy,” Dr. Bushell said. “We are working to ensure a level playing field, where all of us, regardless of where we came from, the color of our skin or our gender, have an equal opportunity to advance.”

On October 14, DASNY President & CEO Gerrard P. Bushell delivered the keynote address to the New York chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors. 

Dr. Bushell described the obligation he has as DASNY’s leader to make sure the almost 1,000 projects in DASNY’s construction pipeline, valued at about $6 billion, are delivered efficiently. It is an obligation, he said, to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. And it is an obligation to ensure the needs of DASNY’s clients are supported in every endeavor.

Through this process, DASNY is financing and building strong and inclusive communities, making them more attractive to businesses around the world. 

“Building this sturdy economic foundation for New York requires that we all work together to take advantage of the opportunities we have,” Bushell said at the event. “It means building new partnerships and reinvigorating the old. It means working together to remove the barriers from the path to success for the next generation. It means leading New York State into a brighter future.”

You can read Dr. Bushell’s speech in its entirety here.

On October 7, DASNY’s Board approved “Construction Manager Build” as an alternative project delivery method at its monthly meeting, adding one more tool to DASNY’s toolbox.

Under this system, the owner holds the contract with the architect and hires a construction manager to bid, award and administer the individual trade contracts and oversee the construction work. The construct places the risk of subcontractor performance on the Construction Manager, providing DASNY’s clients with greater flexibility. 

“These tools provide our clients with options for sharing risk with the private sector, and the process for speeding project delivery,” DASNY President & CEO Gerrard P. Bushell said. “By being flexible for our clients, we will grow our construction pipeline and increase our impact on New York.”

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