New NYS Gender-Based Violence and the Workplace Certification
Beginning November 5, 2025, any entity submitting a proposal for a competitive New York State procurement must certify that it has a written policy addressing gender-based violence and the workplace and that a copy of the policy has been provided to all employees, directors, and board members. Gender-based violence can manifest in harassment, coercion or retaliation in workplace settings creating risks to employees and the organization. This new requirement brings awareness to this issue and builds upon an employer’s responsibility to maintain a safe workplace. The State’s required certification form is available here:
https://opdv.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2025/10/state-finance-law-139m-policy-attestation-template.pdf. This requirement applies to all procurements for goods, work, or services. Under the new statute, State Finance Law §139-M, entities must ensure their policies meet certain minimum standards, including:
NY State has issued comprehensive template that organizations may tailor to their specific operations, provided that all five required elements (referenced above) remain included. The link to the template can be found here, https://opdv.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2025/08/opdv-gbv-workplace-bidder-model-policy_2025.08.28_0.pdf . Under the law, the policy must be distributed to every employee, director and board member. If an entity cannot make the required certification, it must instead submit a signed statement detailing the reasons why it cannot comply. NY State has also prepared training materials to help educate leadership, employees, supervisors and HR personnel about gender-based violence.
If you would like more information or assistance, kindly reach out to Lorraine D’Angelo, lorraine@ldaconmplianceconsulting.com or call (914) 548-6369.