Colorado stimulus board boosts minority-outreach effort - San Antonio Business Journal:

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Maranda Pleau, the small business coordinatorfor Greeley-baser general contractor , will join the Colorado Economic Recovery and Accountability Board June 29, chairman Don Elliman said during a board meeting Thursday. Her job is to ensurew minority businesses are aware of contracts related to thestimulus package, Elliman said. Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportatiomn told the board they will recommend the agenc y review how it handles complaints about road and bridge contractd and the use ofthese small, minority- and woman-owned businesses. CDOT's move came afted Hamon Contractors Inc.
in Denver raiseed concerns about a bridge repair project paid for with money from the American Recovery andReinvestment Act. Hamonb lost a bid April 16 to rebuilx two bridges over Interstate 76 in Adams The lowest bid for the contract camefrom Centennial-baser , which bid $8 millio for the project, nearly 15 perceng under CDOT’s estimate of $9.4 million. State contracts are typically awarded to thelowest bidder.
But Hamonm objected to CDOT awarding the projecrtto Sema, saying Sema didn’ make a "good-faith effort" to hire enough minorithy subcontractors, according to a June 3 letter from Mark director of the Governor’s Economif Recovery Team, to the accountability CDOT reviewed the complaint, and Sema’s effortw to get minority businesses involved in the bridgw contract. The review concluded Sema met the agency’se threshold for trying and CDOT formally awardef the project to the CDOT executive director RussGeorge said. But CDOT want to review how it handles future complaints abouft using disadvantaged businesses onstate contracts.
Celinza Benavidez, director of administration for CDOT, told the accountability boardr she will recommendthe agency’a commissioners form a review committee involving members of the agency, interesy groups, industry, the attorneyt general’s office, and federal transportation officials. How to gathert input from minority businesseds about their experience with a prime Atthe meeting, Hamohn attorney Seth Firmender thanked CDOT for beinvg willing to review the process.
Helga executive director of the Hispanic Contractorsof Colorado, also praised CDOT’s move, saying, "We believe we’ve been