MTA Small Business Mentoring Program - Tier 1

The MTA seeks to increase, facilitate, and encourage the participation of small businesses, including Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/W/BEs) by providing a supportive framework for eligible firms to develop and grow within the construction industry and to establish stable, long-term business relationships with the MTA.

SBMP-Tier 1 is a five-year program that partners emerging firms with one of the industry's largest construction management/mentoring firms, TDX Construction. The program includes:

• Pre-qualification
• Mandatory construction training
• General business, organizational and professional skills development
• Construction expertise
• Access to working capital up to $150,000
• Experience working with MTA construction projects ($100,000 to $1,500,000)
• Fast-track payments (10 business days)

SBMP-Tier 1 is targeted to small contractors. To participate, your firm must meet the following criteria:

• Have gross sales no greater than $6 million per year averaged over the last three calendar years.
• Be pre-qualified to do business with the MTA.
• Complete 18-session training class.
• Provide at least two references for commercial work—valued at no less than $25,000 each—in every trade for which you wish to be qualified.
• Have been in business for at least one year.
• Bonding is not required in Tier 1. However, your firm must have a bonding capacity no greater than $2 million.

• Training classes: You will have to complete the mandatory 18-session training classes. Classes are offered twice a year, spring and fall.
• Survey: Once you’ve received your letter of acceptance into the program, we will email you a link to an assessment survey for you to complete, via Survey Monkey.
• Onsite/virtual assessment: After the survey, we will reach out to schedule an assessment where you will meet with one of our project management and business development consultants to assess your business.
• Action plan: Once the assessment is complete, an action plan is created with deliverables that are set in place to help with the growth of your business throughout mentorship.
• Contractor liaison: Every contractor is assigned a contractor liaison. This person will be your main point of contact for any issues or questions you might have.

Once you have received your pre-qualification approval letter, you are officially in the program and are eligible to start receiving bid opportunities. Opportunities for bidding on MTA work will be dependent upon the availability of work in the trades for which you qualify. If you’re on a bidder’s list, the MTA procurement team will contact you at the information provided on your application.