DBE/SBE Let s Connect

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1 First Quarter 2012 IN THIS ISSUE Off to a Great Start! Supportive Services Denver Transit Partners will use this quarterly newsletter to keep the DBE/SBE community up-to-date on our progress in implementing our comprehensive DBE/SBE program. Status updates, outreach events, bid opportunities, and capacity building opportunities will be featured in each issue. Off to a Great Start! Denver Transit Partners (DTP) is committed to partnering w ith Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) and Small Business Enterprises (SBE) in designing, building, operating and maintaining our project: East Rail, Gold Line, an initial segment of the Northw est Rail Line and the Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility. We support the Regional Transportation District s (RTD) SBE Program as w ell as the City and County of Denver and Colorado Department of Transportation s (CDOT) DBE Program. Bonding & Financial Guidance Program Our DBE/SBE outreach efforts demonstrate the desire to contribute to making the communities in w hich w e w ork and live better places, w ith an enriched small business sector that has grow n in capacity and w ealth. DTP is committed to building partnerships that w ill have long-lasting, measurable impacts on the community. Bonding & Financial Guidance Workshop Schedule We w ill continue to grow the capacity of DBE/SBE contractors through the life of the Project and are committed to exceeding our DBE/SBE goals. The below graphics demonstrate our progress to date: Capacity Building PrimeConnect Mentor Protégé Program Q&A: BT Construction Capacity Building Workshop Schedule Small Biz Spotlights Safety & Construction Supply Entitlement & Engineering Solutions

2 Supportive Services Bonding & Financial Guidance Program As a part of our comprehensive DBE/SBE Program for the Eagle P3 Project, DTP has implemented a program that w ill help create bond worthiness and provide financial guidance to small contractors. This program began in January We are inviting interested subcontractors in the Denver area to sign up and participate. This includes firms that currently have a contract w ith DTP on the Eagle P3 Project, firms interested in bidding on the Eagle P3 Project w ith DTP and firms interested in bidding on other projects. Firms w ill be evaluated for selection into the program and w ill participate in its many components: Herman Ross, Chairman/CFO of National Insurance Consultants, presenting at DTP s Bonding and Insurance Seminar. Darrick Brow n, Principal of Alternative Business Funding, presenting at DTP s Access to Capital and Credit Workshop.

3 Supportive Services Bonding & Financial Guidance Seminars and Workshops Below is the schedule of seminars and workshops that support our Bonding and Financial Guidance Program. The first step involves attending a 1½ day seminar on bonding and insurance. Attendance at this foundational seminar is required for any firm w ishing to continue on in the Bonding Program and w ill be offered once a month from January 2012 through December Participants need only attend this 1½ day seminar once. Additional ½ day workshops w ill be offered monthly on a number of topics. Firms that complete the entire series of workshops w ill receive a Certificate of Completion. Location: Denver Transit Partners: 1670 Broadway, Denver, CO Broncos Conference Room (Check-in on the 27 th Floor) 1½ Day Bonding and Insurance Seminar Schedule Time: Day One: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Day Two: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Dates: January 23, 24 May 14, 15 September 17, 18 February 23, 24 June 18, 19 October 15, 16 March 22, 23 July 26, 27 November 15, 16 April 23, 24 August 16, 17 December 17, 18 1/2 Day Workshop Series Time: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Dates January 24 February 24 March 23 April 24 May 15 June 19 July 27 August 17 September 18 October 16 November 16 December 18 Workshop Topic Access to Capital and Credit: Bank Underw riting and Loan Packaging Understanding and Using your Financial Statements Business Planning & Management for Construction Estimating and Bidding Construction Accounting and Financial Management Claims and Dispute Resolution Access to Capital and Credit: Bank Underw riting and Loan Packaging Understanding and Using your Financial Statements Business Planning & Management for Construction Estimating and Bidding Construction Accounting and Financial Management Claims and Dispute Resolution For additional information, contact Suzanne Arkle Wilson, DBE/SBE Consultant Suzanne.arklew ilson@dtpjv.com or (303)

4 Capacity Building PrimeConnect One of the capacity building programs that DTP has created is PrimeConnect. The focus of this program is to create opportunities and remove barriers that w ill enable small businesses to become primes or to get on the path to becoming a prime. This objective w ill be accomplished in the PrimeConnect program by implementing the follow ing approaches. DTP w ill: Identify DBE/SBEs that are able to prime, and meet w ith them to learn more about their capabilities. Using real contract opportunities, DTP w ill determine if specific scopes of work align w ith a firm s capacity and technical capability. Use opportunities that are profitable and do not marginalize the small business participation. Use its influence w ith major suppliers and other contractors to provide pricing to DBE/SBEs that w ill not exclude them from being competitive. Provide educational sessions to enhance small businesses know ledge of the rail industry. Review other existing models designed to grow small businesses into primes, such as: City and County of Denver-Defined Pool Selection program that targets prime contracting opportunities for small businesses. CDOT-Emerging Small Business Program that encourages and rewards large contractors for using DBEs that have never participated on a CDOT project. To ensure transparency and access to opportunities w ith DTP first -tier subcontractors, all tiers w ill work in collaboration w ith the DTP DBE/SBE Business Leadership Roundtable to disseminate contracting opportunities.

5 Capacity Building Workshop Schedule First Quarter, 2012 Third Quarter, 2012 Another aspect of DTP s Capacity Building program is our technical assistance workshops, w hich are provided free of charge. See schedule below. Check our website and your inbox for additional details. Winning the Work: Estimating Target Audience: DBE/SBE contractors. Workshop w ill provide an overview of the steps involved in developing accurate estimates to competitively position firms for large construction/transportation projects. General Administration provide an overview of the general administrative processes and procedures required from subcontractors during the life of the contract. Safety QA QC provide an in-depth overview of safe work practices on construction sites and discuss procedures for conducting quality analysis and maintaining quality control. Second Quarter, 2012 Know and Understand your Contract Target Audience: DBE/SBE contractors and consultants. Workshop w ill walk participants through the components of a construction contract and discuss how contracts are used. General Administration provide an overview of the general administrative processes and procedures required from subcontractors during the life of the contract. Change Management provide an overview of the factors to consider w hen changes in the scope of work on the project have occurred and how to manage the change order process. Construction Law enhance participants understanding of the broad range of laws that relate to the construction and transportation industries. General Administration provide an overview of the general administrative processes and procedures required from subcontractors during the life of the contract. Resolving Issues provide an overview of the recommended process for communicating and resolving issues that surface w hile working on the contract. Safety QA QC provide an in-depth overview of safe work practices on construction sites and discuss procedures for conducting quality analysis and maintaining quality control. Fourth Quarter, 2012 General Administration provide an overview of the general administrative processes and procedures required from subcontractors during the life of the contract. Dates and topics are subject to change.

6 Capacity Building Mentor Protégé Program The program objectives include providing comprehensive mentoring and technical assistance to DBE/SBEs w orking on the Eagle P3 Project so that they may successfully complete their contracts, develop and broaden their capabilities, expand their businesses, and yield sustainable grow th. DTP envisions that the long-term impact of this program w ill improve the competitive position of DBE/SBEs, enable them to graduate to primes, and significantly influence economic development w ithin the Denver area. As a criteria for participation, mentors w ithin this program must have a current contract w ith DTP, have demonstrated ability to perform successfully as a prime contractor on construction and transit based projects in the Colorado area, and w ill commit the time and resources to their protégés. Protégés w ho participate must be a certified DBE or SBE, pre-qualified by DTP, and have a good w ork history on construction and transit based projects in the Colorado area demonstrating ability to perform as a prime contractor. Our first participating team is BT Construction and Ralph Martinez Trucking. BT Construction is a general contractor w hose services include pipelines, tunnels, bores, gas, chilled w ater, steam piping and electrical communications duct banks, pothole vacuum excavation and Design Build/ Design Assist services. Ralph Martinez Trucking is a DBE firm that provides heavy hauling and other specialized trucking services. As a supplement to mentoring activities, DTP w ill coordinate netw orking events, technical assistance w orkshops and other activities to complement the objectives in each participant s development plan. An interview with Catherine Kornbrust of BT Construction - Insights on the Mentoring Program How did your firms become interested in DTP s Mentoring Program? BT Construction and Ralph Martinez Trucking became interested in the Mentoring Program as a w ay for us to participate and become instrumental team players in the Eagle P-3 Project w hile helping DTP/ RTD achieve their DBE participation goals. The Mentoring Program has also provided us w ith an avenue to develop partnering opportunities. Bringing the Prime Contractor/DBE Contractor element to the Eagle P3 Project w as desirable as w e have an established long -term w orking relationship w ith each other that has been built on trust and mutual respect through the years. Can you provide us with highlights on the mentoring approach that will be used? Our approach involved collectively identifying goals in w hich BT Construction could enhance Ralph Martinez Trucking, w hile affording them the opportunity to develop their company in new w ays to complement their existing services. Along w ith identifying these goals, w e have also put in place an action plan for each goal that w ill provide us w ith a means to measure our success at the end of the Program. In conjunction w ith the mentoring approach to goal setting and instituting an action plan, w e believe it w ill take team w ork, continued good business practices, synergy, commitment, quality of w ork, trust and integrity to produce positive results. How do you anticipate this program will impact your businesses, both short and long term? We believe the impact of the program to BT Construction and Ralph Martinez Trucking w ill prove to be positive as w e move forw ard. We have very carefully selected each other as partners and firmly believe w e are the right team for the Program. Our collaboration on the Eagle P3 Project w ill benefit both firms in procuring future w ork w hile providing an opportunity to learn from each other. Long-term, both firms w ill become more know ledgeable about w orking in a Mentoring Program on a large construction project. We w ill benefit from partnering w ith another company that shares similar values, even w hile coming from diverse backgrounds. Both companies w ill also have the opportunity to develop a stronger w orking relationship w ith DTP/RTD on this high-profile project. What are your insights on what other firms should consider when choosing mentoring partners and putting together the development plan and agreement? When choosing a mentoring partner w e w ould recommend looking to know n companies that you already have a long-term relationship w ith. This w ould include firms w ith w hich you share similar values and philosophies. Other characteristics to look for w ould be compatibility, a good reputation, and a w illingness to think outside of the box and explore other opportunities that may fit w ithin the protégé s scope of w ork. In your selection process there must be a trust level and respect betw een the tw o firms and know ing that you both have a vested interest in the Mentoring Program. Above all your program must STAND THE LIGHT OF DAY. Representatives from BT Construction, Ralph Martinez Trucking and Denver Transit Partners.

7 Small Biz Spotlight Safety & Construction Supply DTP is pleased to spotlight DBE/SBE firms that are committed to quality and provide a valuable contribution to the Eagle P3 Project. Safety & Construction Supply, (SCS) provides DTP w ith; Personal Protective Equipment: safety glasses, hardhats, vests and gloves; Industrial Safety Equipment: fire extinguishers, first aid kits, spill kits and gas monitors; Traffic Control Products: traffic cones; Fleet Safety Products: vehicle spill kits. Each item supplied by SCS is crucial to the safety of the Eagle P3 Project marks the 25th anniversary of SCS! It all began on April 15, 1986 in a 2,700 sq. ft. facility in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Twenty-Five years later, SCS has grow n into a 24,000 sq. ft. facility and has moved to Denver. SCS has been an integral part of the Eagle P3 Project. T.J. Smith, DTP s Procurement Manager said, In the Colorado area, I have dealt w ith SCS for approximately 10 years. In those 10 years they have provided exceptional service, reliability, products and pricing. Safety & Construction Supply team members According to T.J., DTP ordered our initial safety vests from another DBE source. When the manufacturer s screen printing process made the vests unusable, SCS jumped through hoops to order vests, got them screen printed and to the jobsite in time for our initial kickoff safety meeting. SCS was chosen based on their ability to work well under pressure and on deadlines w ith a great attitude. We have seen great things from this DBE company, and look forward to their future successes! Entitlement & Engineering Solutions Entitlement & Engineering Solutions (EES) is a full-service civil engineering consultant participating on the Eagle P3 Project. EES is providing drainage analysis and design, and sediment and erosion control design and permitting, for several segments of the Eagle P3 Project. The RTD DBE/SBE program has provided EES w ith the opportunity to contribute to a large, multi-agency project w hile expanding its professional network w ithin the Denver area. Established in 2009, EES has grow n to a staff of eight through on-time and onbudget delivery of quality civil site designs. Services include civil site design for public and private clients, from mega-transportation improvement projects to commercial and office developments. EES staff has a w ide variety of experience including due diligence, entitlement and planning services; residential, retail and industrial site development; transportation drainage systems analysis and design; sustainable consultation and construction services. Recently, EES was recognized as Small Business of the Year by Colorado Women s Chamber of Commerce for a workplace environment that supports women in their career pursuits w hile acknow ledging demands on their personal lives as well. By allow ing flexible schedules, alternative work-weeks and telecommuting, EES is keeping talented and successful women continually engaged and employed in the civil engineering field. Colorado Women s Chamber of Commerce recognized these efforts by EES through this award.

8 Denver Transit Partners Dow ntow n Office 1670 Broadway, Suite 2700 Denver, CO Phone: Fax: East Corridor Project Office East 40th Avenue, #400 Denver, CO Phone: Fax: For DBE/SBE comments or questions, contact: DTP DBE/SBE Liaison, Linda Wilson , Linda.Wilson@dtpjv.com