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

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Maranda Pleau, the small business coordinatorefor Greeley-based general contractor , will join the Coloradp Economic Recovery and Accountability Board June 29, chairman Don Ellimaj said during a board meeting Her job is to ensure minority businesses are awarre of contracts related to the stimulus package, Ellimanm said. Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation told the board they will recommenrd the agency review how it handles complaintds about road and bridge contracts and the use ofthesee small, minority- and woman-owned businesses. CDOT's move came after Hamon Contractors Inc.
in Denver raised concern s about a bridge repair project paid for with money from the Americabn Recovery andReinvestment Act. Hamon lost a bid Aprilk 16 to rebuild two bridgesw over Interstate 76 inAdams County. The lowestr bid for the contract camefrom Centennial-basexd , which bid $8 million for the nearly 15 percent under CDOT’s estimate of $9.4 State contracts are typically awarded to the lowestt bidder.
But Hamon objected to CDOT awarding the projectgto Sema, saying Sema didn’t make a "good-faitjh effort" to hire enough minority subcontractors, accordingh to a June 3 letter from Mark director of the Governor’s Economic Recovergy Team, to the accountability board. CDOT reviewed the complaint, and Sema’s effortsa to get minority businesses involved in thebridgde contract.
The review concluded Sema met the agency’s threshold for trying and CDOT formally awardec the project tothe company, CDOT executivd director Russ George But CDOT wants to review how it handlese future complaints about using disadvantaged businesses on state Celina Benavidez, director of administration for CDOT, told the accountabilit y board she will recommend the agency’s commissioners form a review committee involving members of the interest groups, industry, the attorney general’s and federal transportation officials. How to gather inpur from minority businesses about their experiences with aprime contractor.
At the meeting, Hamo n attorney Seth Firmender thanked CDOT for being willing to revieathe process. Helga Grunerud, executive director of the Hispanic Contractorsof Colorado, also praisede CDOT’s move, saying, "We believe we’vse been heard."