NEWS
RELEASE
MDC ANNOUNCES SMALL AND MINORITY BUSINESS AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS
HARTFORD – Mr. William DiBella, chairman of the Metropolitan District Board of Commissioners said: “The MDC accepts the challenge to include small, minority and women’s business in our Clean Water Project. Over the past fourteen months, our management team has focused on our responsibility to access the full resources of our region. The MDC is committed to hiring as many local workers as possible throughout the duration of the Clean Water Project.”
“The Metropolitan District shares the goal of creating opportunities for all segments of the community. The MDC, its Commissioners, staff, and Strategic Advisory Committee appreciate and understand the concerns expressed as a result of the legislative actions regarding Senate Bill 1250, which specified specific goals for minority participation. The MDC is aggressively working with community leaders, regional minority workforce resources to make this project a national model for success.”
The Clean Water Project is the largest project in the MDC’s history. In order to successfully complete it, the MDC will need the help of all capable and qualified individuals, suppliers, vendors and contractors.
Recent statements by some Hartford citizens have created the impression that the MDC is opposed to SB 1250. We—including our management team, Commissioners, and staff —spent countless hours to advise the proponents of the bill on the issues. SB 1250 would have set up fines and other due processes based upon proposed workforce and setaside goals. Unfortunately, these goals are not supported by any analysis of business and workforce availability. While we agree with the intent to reach new heights of minority and women’s involvement that is desired, we cannot subject our capital projects to legislation that will expose our District to legal challenge, substantial additional costs, and up to 10 percent fines. While unintentional, these conditions will increase the overall cost of our clean water programs, resulting in further increases in costs to our customers. Our ultimate concern is that we implement this project in accordance with legal statutes, which are supported by the US Supreme Court decisions.
While we oppose some of the aspects of SB1250, we are committed to a comprehensive small, minority and women’s business involvement program. The District Board has endorsed a series of steps to move our procurement process to significantly increase the involvement of minority, women and small business, as well as increase the minority workforce with the licensing to work on our capital projects—including all of our water, wastewater and waste projects.
“The MDC is fully committed to equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. In fulfillment of these goals, the MDC supports requirements that are based on empirical data and legal precedent and that would not subject the MDC to future legal challenges affecting its ability to efficiently execute the project. Also, it is imperative that any requirements be attainable,” said Charles P. Sheehan, MDC Chief Executive Officer.
The MDC anticipates that 180 new construction jobs will be sustained through the 15 years of the Clean Water Project. Most jobs require licensing and experience not readily available in the workforce. Of the total construction jobs, approximately 10% will be available to unskilled workers. Professional engineering and professional service contract opportunities will also be available.
The MDC has started to develop the necessary training to develop the skill, expertise and licensing required for individual workers. The MDC’s job opportunity program now consists of the following:
1. The MDC has established a Diversity Office to develop the necessary workforce and create specific project opportunities for area businesses. The Diversity Office staff will also ensure contract compliance and oversight. The Diversity Manager Position was approved by the Board at its meeting of June 11, and will now be publicly advertised for applications by its Human Resources Department. We plan to have this position filled by August 1st
2. Recognizing that the Clean Water Project requires capabilities that are not available in the workforce at this time, MDC’s formed a Strategic Advisory Committee (SAC) in late 2006 to develop a programmatic approach to increase the available minority workforce. The SAC is now developing a comprehensive program for business mentoring and workforce training and development. The SAC includes representatives from the State Department of Administrative Services, Upper Albany Neighborhood Association, Spanish-American Merchants Association, Hartford Minority Construction Council, neighborhood groups and the construction industry.
3. The District Board authorized the engagement of Tydings & Rosenberg LLC of Baltimore MD, a national specialist in the development and preparation of Disparity Studies. Tydings and Rosenberg will select and monitor specialists who will conduct Disparity and Capacity Studies, along with coordinating the process with local agencies. The District has authorized a total budget of $400,000 to coordinate and complete these studies as soon as possible.
4. The MDC has established a Minority/Women’s business prequalification program. To date, 33 firms have been pre-qualified through this process. Another prequalification request will be released by June 24th, and the District encourages all minority and women’s businesses to be pre-qualified to perform a wide variety of professional services to execute its capital projects.
5. Design engineering contracts have been setaside for minority and women’s engineering firm competition. The first such contractor selection is to United International Corporation of Wallingford, a state certified minority business. This $145,000 contract will lead to about $5 million in new construction work to be performed in 2008.
6. More than $5 million in construction contracts are being developed for small, minority and women’s business competitive bidding in late 2007. These construction contracts will be awarded based upon our state and federal funding requirements.
7. The District is specifically encouraging all its suppliers, engineers, professional services firms, and contractors to obtain the highest possible minority and women’s business involvement in their proposals and bids to the District. In fact, for our most recent engineering contract, we have selected Metcalf & Eddy of Wallingford CT, who has subcontracted more than 14.6 percent minority and women’s business in these professional services. Metcalf & Eddy Inc was selected from five proposals to design the Homestead Avenue Interceptor Extension. Their 14.6 percent minority/women’s business proposal substantially exceeds the federal funding requirements –and exceeds the initial minority hiring requirements of SB 1250.
The Clean Water Project includes reduction of combined sewer overflows with the Hartford Central Sewer System, and elimination of sanitary sewer overflows in the sanitary sewers of Wethersfield, West Hartford, Windsor, Rocky Hill and Newington.
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Contact:
Matt Nozzolio
(860) 278-7850, ext. 3209
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