When the City of New Rochelle (the City) recognized that it needed an effective way to meet minority- and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) requirements, it decided to embrace AI and machine learning technology by establishing an innovative partnership with Tough Leaf. To customize the partnership for the New Rochelle area, Tough Leaf focused its efforts by precisely targeting construction firms that are either based in or perform work within that region.
The collaboration carefully addresses the City’s core needs and enhances diversity and inclusion efforts by equipping staff with advanced tools and support for identifying qualified, local diverse firms and ensuring general contractor compliance.
Furthermore, The City also decided to double down on its commitment to subcontractor diversity and inclusion on municipal projects by mandating the Tough Leaf platform as a cost of doing business on new developments, as well as encouraging its adoption for existing contracts. With end-to-end program support from Tough Leaf, New Rochelle strengthened internal processes while unlocking new opportunities for regional diverse enterprises. This groundbreaking relationship creates a best-practice template for cities seeking to prioritize equity in public spending and promote impactful project diversity initiatives.
Key Platform Benefits of the Tough Leaf x New Rochelle Collaboration
- Replaces manual research and vetting with AI-powered matching between prime contractors and verified diverse subcontractors
- Upgrades diverse firm data management using Tough Leaf’s real-time database
- Boosts local outreach efforts through Tough Leaf’s construction industry expertise
- Offers built-in educational tools and resources to expand the capabilities of diverse firms
- Enables self-certification for speedy onboarding of New Rochelle businesses
- Drives area-wide engagement among diverse firms bidding on City projects
- Provides turnkey support including training and platform customizations to ease adoption
- Seamlessly integrates with existing reporting systems
- Delivers ongoing assistance to staff and contractors for the duration of the partnership