Colorado stimulus board boosts minority-outreach effort - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

http://wood-news.com/news/wood/6284/
Maranda Pleau, the small business coordinatorfor Greeley-basedd general contractor , will join the Colorado Economidc Recovery and Accountability Board June 29, chairman Don Elliman said during a boarxd meeting Thursday. Her job is to ensure minorituy businesses are aware of contracts related to thestimulus package, Ellimanj said. Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportatiob told the board they will recommensd the agency review how it handles complaintes about road and bridge contracts and the use ofthese small, minority- and woman-owne businesses. CDOT's move came after Hamonb Contractors Inc.
in Denver raised concerns abou t a bridge repair project paid for with money from the Americanj Recovery andReinvestment Act. Hamon lost a bid Apri l 16 to rebuild two bridges over Interstatew 76 inAdams County. The lowest bid for the contracty camefrom Centennial-based , whicn bid $8 million for the nearly 15 percent under CDOT’s estimate of $9.4 million. Statwe contracts are typically awarded to thelowest bidder.
But Hamon objected to CDOT awardingf the projectto Sema, sayingh Sema didn’t make a "good-faitbh effort" to hire enough minority subcontractors, according to a June 3 letterd from Mark Cavanaugh, director of the Governor’s Economi c Recovery Team, to the accountability board. CDOT reviewed the and Sema’s efforts to get minorituy businesses involved in thebridge contract. The reviews concluded Sema metthe agency’ss threshold for trying and CDOT formally awarded the projecrt to the company, CDOT executive director Russ Georg e said. But CDOT wants to review how it handleas future complaints about using disadvantagef businesses onstate contracts.
Celina Benavidez, directo of administration for CDOT, told the accountability boarsd she will recommendthe agency’ commissioners form a revie w committee involving members of the agency, interest groups, the attorney general’s office, and federal transportation officials. How to gather inpu t from minority businesses about their experience with aprime contractor. At the Hamon attorney Seth Firmender thanked CDOT for being willinbg to reviewthe process. Helgq Grunerud, executive director of the Hispanic Contractorsof Colorado, also praisedf CDOT’s move, saying, "We believe we’ves been heard.
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