Minority Business Development Agency
Global Construction Program - Help for Minority-owned Construction Firms “The Global Construction Program is designed to provide minorityowned firms with access to relationships, technical training, and skills to compete in the construction industry worldwide,” MBDA National Director David A. Hinson said. “This is the first time in history that minority businesses will have access to global construction opportunities. Under the Obama administration we intend to support job growth by expanding export capability and by leveraging economic benefits of the minority business community - a community that adds $1 trillion in economic output to the nation. This program is the first of a series of programs designed to increase employment and capacity in the minority business sector.”
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ver the next decade, countries around the world, including Brazil, Russia, India and China, will undergo significant investment in infrastructure including thousands of miles of high-speed railways and roads, hundreds of airports, and many sustainable water, energy and rural projects. With these global investments in infrastructure in mind, and to support the President’s National Export Initiative (NEI) to increase exports over the next five years, MBDA developed the Global Construction Program to help minority-owned construction firms learn the nuts and bolts of international projects and performance. Public-Private Partnership Pulling together partners such as Tutor-Perini Corporation, the International Trade Administration, the University of Southern California, Next Level
Diversity LLC and Ralph Moore & Associates, MBDA spearheaded the unprecedented public-private partnership to globalize the minority construction industry. This program is underscored by the opportunity to compete for $1 billion in Tutor-Perini contracts. Over the next six months, three classes of 50 participants each will receive training which is tailored specifically to contracting on international federal projects. The knowledge gained in the construction and technical aspects will prepare minority-owned firms to perform on projects of any trans-global construction firm. The International Trade Administration will train firms to identify opportunities, compete and perform on projects worldwide. The instruction consists of one week in Las Vegas at the Perini Building Company training facility. The curriculum will include, but is not limited to, areas such
as: engineering elements, design build fast track schedules, cost reporting, and financial implications of doing business in Guam. In addition, the program consists of 64 hours of online training courses and 10 hours of webinars. Program Requirements To participate, minority-owned firms must have performed at least $10 million on a single project if a general contractor, or at least $5 million on a single project if a subcontractor or vendor. The cost of the program is $10,000 for general contractors and $7,500 for subcontractors and vendors. To participate in the Global Construction Program, applicant firms must also be: • Minority-owned (more than 50 percent) and operated, and certified as a minority enterprise or similar designation by NMSDC or have other recognized certifications, such as an SBA 8(a), program signed letter of enrollment, or a similar state-level minority enterprise certification; • Willing to complete a business needs assessment; and • Operating an active construction or construction supply business and have been in this business for five years or more immediately preceding the submission of the application. To apply, minority-owned firms should send an e-mail to GCP@periniwest.com with Global Construction Program in the subject line. When e-mailing, firms should include: Company name, Contact name, Scope of Work (please include CSI code), Telephone Number, Fax Number, Physical address, E-mail address, Website address.
13 October 2010 Black Business News www.bbala.org