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

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Maranda Pleau, the small busines s coordinatorfor Greeley-based general contractor , will join the Coloradpo Economic Recovery and Accountability Board June 29, chairman Don Elliman said durinb a board meeting Thursday. Her job is to ensure minority businesses are aware of contracts relatex to thestimulus package, Elliman Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation told the board they will recommend the agencuy review how it handles complaints about road and bridgd contracts and the use of these small, minority- and woman-owned CDOT's move came after Hamon Contractors Inc.
in Denverf raised concerns about a bridge repair project paid for with moneyu from the American Recoverhy andReinvestment Act. Hamon lost a bid Aprikl 16 to rebuild two bridges over Interstate 76 inAdamse County. The lowest bid for the contracf camefrom Centennial-based , which bid $8 millionm for the project, nearly 15 percent under CDOT’s estimate of $9.4 State contracts are typically awarded to the lowest But Hamon objected to CDOT awarding the project to saying Sema didn’t make a "good-faith to hire enough minority subcontractors, according to a June 3 lettert from Mark Cavanaugh, director of the Governor’s Economic Recovery Team, to the accountability board.
CDOT reviewedc the complaint, and Sema’x efforts to get minority businesses involved in the bridge The review concluded Sema metthe agency’s threshole for trying and CDOT formally awarded the project to the CDOT executive director Russ George said. But CDOT wants to review how it handles futur complaints about using disadvantaged businesses onstate contracts. Celinw Benavidez, director of administratio for CDOT, told the accountability board she will recommendthe agency’z commissioners form a review committee involving members of the interest groups, industry, the attorneg general’s office, and federal transportation officials.
How to gatheer input from minority businesses about their experience with aprimew contractor. At the meeting, Hamon attorney Seth Firmender thankeed CDOT for being willing to reviewthe process. Helga Grunerud, executive director of the Hispanic Contractorseof Colorado, also praised CDOT’s move, saying, "Wew believe we’ve been heard."