BOSTON — The city of Boston awarded $752 million in contracts to certified minority- and women-owned businesses from fiscal 2023 through fiscal 2026, a 132% increase over the $324 million awarded in the previous four fiscal years, Mayor Michelle Wu's office said Tuesday.

The city also spent $504 million in discretionary funds with those certified firms over the same period, up 115% from $234 million in fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2022, according to the mayor's office. In fiscal 2026, the city had 1,076 actively certified businesses across its minority- and women-owned and small and small-local business programs, the office said.

Wu and the city's Department of Supplier Diversity released the figures as they opened the fourth annual Supplier Diversity Week, which the city said is meant to connect businesses with resources and contracting opportunities. The city detailed its progress in an annual equity in contracting report for fiscal 2026.

"Healthy, resilient neighborhoods depend on all residents having access to good-paying jobs and opportunities to build and expand their business," Wu said in a statement.

Andrea Swain, the city's director of supplier diversity, said the department's main objective "is to share opportunities for vendors and help them learn the intricacies of City contracting."

The schedule began with a virtual workshop on city purchasing on Oct. 26, followed by a virtual session on business certification Tuesday. An opportunity fair, where prospective vendors can meet with city departments including Boston Centers for Youth and Families and the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, is set for 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Bolling Building. A networking mixer for small business owners and city staff is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 29 at Savvor, and a virtual workshop from the city's Office of Small Business is set for 11 a.m. Oct. 30.

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