Norton Announces 15 DC Businesses, 7 in Ward 8, Awarded Small Business Contracts (3/17/2010)
Norton Announces 15 D.C. Businesses, 7 in Ward 8, Awarded Small Business Contracts at DHS Construction Site
March 17, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC - As the Congressional Black Caucus today convenes a special congressional hearing, "Out of Work But Not Out of Hope: Addressing the Crisis of the Chronically Unemployed," Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has encouraged D.C. small, minority, and women-owned businesses to take advantage of the monthly 8a Certification Training Labs that begin today, March 17, 1:30-4 p.m. at the Opportunities Center, which Norton had the General Services Administration (GSA) set up at the construction site for the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) headquarters, located on the St. Elizabeths West Campus in Ward 8. Advance registration for the workshops is required and can be made at gsa.gov\events, which also will post times for the upcoming workshops.
The Congresswoman also announced that GSA, which is responsible for the DHS construction, reports that it is on track to exceed its goal of letting 40 percent of the DHS contracts to small, local, or disadvantaged businesses, and that it has subcontracted with 15 D.C. businesses, including seven based in Ward 8 for initial work at the site. D.C. businesses that have been awarded subcontracts include Century General Contractors, Inc., Prince Construction Company, Inc., Hard Light Consulting Group, and Ideal Electrical Supply Corporation. Ward 8 companies, including S&G Caterers, B&B Floor Services, LLC, and F&L Construction, have landed contracts to provide services at the site, as well. Subcontracts must go to companies certified within specialty areas.
Hiring has just begun for the DHS compound of three buildings, which is expected to take almost a decade to construct. Construction is expected to produce thousands of jobs and business opportunities for construction of the three buildings and the upgrading of scores of historical buildings for reuse. Close to 1,000 individuals have applied for jobs at the Opportunities Center, which puts a special emphasis on D.C. residents. Although under federal rules, hiring for federal projects cannot be done based only on a jurisdiction basis, GSA regulations do allow for special outreach to the city or county where the work occurs and for an emphasis on small and disadvantaged businesses on a competitive basis. Although hiring is just starting for the building season, the Congresswoman will monitor hiring with bi-monthly reports to ensure that GSA officials are doing the necessary outreach to D.C. residents.
Norton, chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Emergency Management, and Public Buildings, which has jurisdiction over government buildings, secured the first $1 billion for the DHS headquarters construction, the largest federal construction since the Pentagon. "Ensuring that D.C. businesses and job applicants get a fair shake and opportunities in this DHS project will continue as a priority," Norton said, adding that GSA's first results of contracting and hiring show that the agency understands its obligations to the community and to the District of Columbia, where the headquarters is being built.