Southeast Queens native Victor Olds was appointed chief procurement officer and director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS), where he will oversee more than $20 billion a year in government services and spending.
Raised in Hollis, Olds has worked at MOCS since 2016 where he spearheaded the minority and women-owned business enterprise program at the agency.
“I believe deeply in the work we are doing to support our city agencies in providing the goods and services the people of the city need,” Olds said. “I will continue the work of making business with the city more equitable, efficient and accessible for all New Yorkers.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Olds established a personal protective equipment global supply chain for the city.
“This office was crucial, particularly during COVID, in finding a way — even when it seemed like there wasn’t any way — to get us the PPE we needed, to get us the supplies and the equipment we needed,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “Even when the entire global supply chain was collapsing, our Office of Contract Services found a way. So, this is an important place.”
Olds is a graduate of Cornell University, and earned his J.D. from the Fordham University School of Law. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.
“He is my favorite kind of public servant: someone who comes from this city, loves this city, wants to give back to the city and has made a life of it,” de Blasio said. “Victor Olds, born and raised New Yorker from Hollis, Queens, spent most of his professional career serving the people of this city, doing this crucial work, helped us to improve and reform our approach to contracting, helped open the door for more M/WBEs, creating new rules that actually level the playing field and create opportunity.”
Olds’ appointment will help the city’s economic recovery from the pandemic, according to Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Jonnel Doris.
“Victor Olds brings a proven track record of knowledge and integrity to MOCS, and a thorough understanding of the city’s M/WBE program,” Doris said. “As a colleague, he has always been a champion for small businesses and a reliable adviser on the complexities of city contracting. I have no doubt that he will excel in his new role at the helm of the agency and continue to ensure an equitable recovery for all of us.”
