About the EUCI
The Enhanced Utilization Credit Initiative (EUCI) is designed to increase participation of certified Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) that have had limited or no opportunities to contract with the MTA.
Under the program, prime contractors receive enhanced utilization credit (1.5x the subcontract dollar value) when engaging eligible MWBE firms. This innovative approach creates new incentives for primes while building long-term capacity for MWBEs.
Program goals
- Expand MWBE participation in MTA contracts, with a focus on firms new to the agency and Prime ecosystem.
- Support MWBEs with training and resources to meet compliance requirements.
- Educate prospective vendors on MTA administrative requirements to facilitate streamlined bidding, contracting, invoice submissions and payments.
Why it matters
- For MWBEs: Access new subcontracting opportunities and build experience with the MTA.
- For Primes: Enhanced utilization credits (up to $10M per contract) make partnering with eligible firms a competitive advantage.
- For New York: A stronger, more inclusive economy with diverse participation in public infrastructure investment.
Eligibility snapshot
MWBE firms must:
- Be NYS-certified for the scope of work.
- Have at least 2 years in business.
- Not have contracted with the MTA in the past 3 years or performed contracts over $500,000
- Current or graduate participants of the MTA’s Small Business Mentorship Program Training offered by the MTA or Empire State Development (ESD)’s Business Growth Accelerator (BGA) 2.0 Program are exempt from this requirement.
- Completed advanced education programming offered by the MTA or Empire State Development:
- Coming soon: online construction courses offered by the MTA