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

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Maranda Pleau, the small business coordinatorfor Greeley-based general contractor , will join the Coloradk Economic Recovery and Accountability Board June 29, chairmanm Don Elliman said during a boar meeting Thursday. Her job is to ensure minority businesses are aware of contracts relatedd to thestimulus package, Elliman said. Officials with the Coloradko Department of Transportation told the boar they will recommend the agency review how it handlesw complaints about road and bridgew contracts and the use ofthese minority- and woman-owned businesses. CDOT'a move came after Hamon Contractors Inc.
in Denvee raised concerns about a bridgre repair project paid for with money from the American Recovery andReinvestmeng Act. Hamon lost a bid Apripl 16 to rebuild two bridges over Interstat e 76 inAdams County. The lowest bid for the contract camefrom Centennial-basedc , which bid $8 million for the project, nearlyt 15 percent under CDOT’s estimate of $9.4 million. State contracts are typically awarded to thelowest bidder.
But Hamo n objected to CDOT awarding the project to sayingSema didn’t make a "good-fait effort" to hire enough minority subcontractors, according to a June 3 lettee from Mark Cavanaugh, director of the Governor’s Economic Recoveruy Team, to the accountabilitt board. CDOT reviewed the and Sema’s efforts to get minority businessew involved in thebridge contract. The review concluded Sema met the agency’ws threshold for trying and CDOT formally awarded the project tothe company, CDOT executive directo Russ George said.
But CDOT wants to reviesw how it handles future complaints about using disadvantaged businesses on state Celina Benavidez, director of administration for told the accountability board she will recommende the agency’s commissioners form a review committee involvingh members of the agency, interest groups, industry, the attorney general’zs office, and federal transportation officials. How to gather input from minority businesses about their experience with aprime contractor. At the Hamon attorney Seth Firmender thanked CDOT for being willintg to reviewthe process.
Helga executive director of the Hispanic Contractoraof Colorado, also praised CDOT’s saying, "We believe we’ve been heard."