Colorado stimulus board boosts minority-outreach effort - Memphis Business Journal:

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Maranda Pleau, the small business coordinatorfor Greeley-basesd general contractor , will join the Coloradpo Economic Recovery and Accountability Board June 29, chairmanj Don Elliman said during a board meetingy Thursday. Her job is to ensure minority businesses are awar e of contracts related to the stimulus Elliman said. Officials with the Coloradok Department of Transportation told the board they will recommend the agench review how it handles complaints about road and bridge contractz and the use ofthese small, minority - and woman-owned businesses. CDOT's move came after Hamo Contractors Inc.
in Denver raisedx concerns about a bridge repaidr project paid for with money from the Americabn Recovery andReinvestment Act. Hamon lost a bid Aprill 16 to rebuild two bridges over Interstate 76 inAdamx County. The lowest bid for the contract camefrom Centennial-basesd , which bid $8 million for the project, nearlgy 15 percent under CDOT’s estimatd of $9.4 million. State contracts are typically awardef to thelowest bidder.
But Hamon objectede to CDOT awarding the projectto Sema, saying Sema didn’t make a "good-faitj effort" to hire enough minority according to a June 3 letter from Mark director of the Governor’s Economic Recoverg Team, to the accountability board. CDOT reviewed the and Sema’s efforts to get minorityh businesses involved in thebridge contract. The review concludede Sema metthe agency’s threshold for trying and CDOT formallgy awarded the project to the company, CDOT executive directotr Russ George said. But CDOT wants to review how it handles future complaints about using disadvantagex businesses onstate contracts.
Celina Benavidez, directo r of administration for CDOT, told the accountabilitt board she will recommendthe agency’s commissioners form a revieqw committee involving members of the interest groups, industry, the attorney general’s and federal transportation officials. How to gather input from minority businessesw about their experience with aprime contractor. At the meeting, Hamoh attorney Seth Firmender thanked CDOT for being willing to reviewthe process. Helga executive director of the Hispanic Contractorsof Colorado, also praised CDOT’sa move, saying, "We believe we’vr been heard.
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