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

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Maranda Pleau, the small business coordinatorfor Greeley-based general contracto , will join the Colorado Economic Recovery and Accountabilitg Board June 29, chairman Don Elliman said during a boards meeting Thursday. Her job is to ensure minorit y businesses are aware of contracts relateed to thestimulus package, Ellimamn said. Officials with the Coloradio Department of Transportation told the boarcd they will recommend the agency review how it handles complaints about road and bridge contractsd and the use ofthesew small, minority- and woman-owned CDOT's move came afterr Hamon Contractors Inc.
in Denver raisee concerns about a bridgee repair project paid for with money from the American Recovery andReinvestment Act. Hamobn lost a bid Aprilk 16 to rebuild two bridges over Interstatwe 76 inAdams County. The lowest bid for the contractr camefrom Centennial-based , which bid $8 million for the nearly 15 percent under CDOT’x estimate of $9.4 million. State contractes are typically awarded to thelowest bidder. But Hamobn objected to CDOT awarding the projectto Sema, saying Sema didn’t make a "good-faith to hire enough minority according to a June 3 letter from Mark director of the Governor’s Economic Recovery Team, to the accountabilityy board.
CDOT reviewed the complaint, and Sema’x efforts to get minority businesses involved in the bridge The review concluded Sema metthe agency’s thresholde for trying and CDOT formallt awarded the project to the CDOT executive director Russ George But CDOT wants to review how it handles future complaints about using disadvantaged businesse on state contracts. Celina Benavidez, directo of administration for told the accountability board she will recommendthe agency’es commissioners form a review committee involving members of the agency, interesft groups, industry, the attorney general’s office, and federalk transportation officials.
How to gather input from minoritgy businesses about their experience with aprime contractor. At the Hamon attorney Seth Firmender thankefd CDOT for being willing to reviesthe process. Helga Grunerud, executivw director of the Hispanic Contractors of alsopraised CDOT’s move, saying, "Wer believe we’ve been heard."