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The Real Numbers On MDC Minority Contracting

Metropolitan District Commission

June 23, 2011

In a recent article the executive director of the Minority Construction Council asked the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) to publish its records on minority contracting opportunities at the MDC.

Here are MDC’s 2010 expenditure figures:

There is a reason the MDC was recently recognized for its participation and creation of innovative approaches to local and minority hiring. The minority spend was almost nine percent, far in excess of any state, national or local goal. The local small business program has been a resounding success, with a spend of almost 35%. A great percentage of those businesses are owned by and employ local minority residents.

The total number of firms who benefitted from the various small, minority, and disadvantaged business programs run by the MDC are too numerous to mention. Included in this group are the following:

Total small, minority and disadvantaged business spending includes the subcontracting opportunities which have been matched and managed by Michael Jefferson, a MDC employee whose sole job is to increase participation by local businesses in MDC work. More than $5,740,000 of such work was awarded to African American Subcontractors in 2010. Some of the beneficiaries of these programs are:

Gelly’s Trucking $1,700,000
Connecticut Paving $ 960,000
Long and Grier Trucking $ 685,421
LJH Trucking $ 403,899
Virgo Trucking $ 243,000

The MDC hiring record compares favorably with similarly sized state and local governmental agencies. In its last fiscal year CRRA, the regional trash authority, spent a mere $204,417 on mi-nority businesses, out of a total spend of more than 100 million dollars (.2%). Of this CRRA spent only $3,082 on African American businesses (.003%). This year, during its first three quarters, CRRA has spent more than 85 million dollars, but only $221,000 in total on minorities, with $11,606 spent on African American businesses (.01%). As far as CRRA’s minority hiring record at its waste processing facility in the South Mea-dows, the MDC, not CRRA, has lead the way. Through our contract with CRRA, which is due to expire at the end of the year, the MDC is charged with hiring decisions, and has consistently maintained a workforce at this facility comprised of approximately 30% minority employees.

Even though the MDC is purchasing and employing minorities at a rate more than 140 times greater than CRRA, much remains to be done. The MDC is striving to improve its ability to contract with small, local businesses, through both managerial practices and legislative initiatives. This past year, through the leadership and assistance of the Commerce Committee and its Chairs, Sen-ator LeBeau of East Hartford and Representative Berger of Waterbury, the MDC successfully amended the state statute which limited the use of local preferences on state funded programs. To a person, the legislative delegation from MDC member towns worked to see that this legislation passed without amendment. Simply put, this means that the Clean Water Project can now make awards using our small business set aside program. This one step increases the amount of potential awards by millions of dollars each year.

To participate in this program, local businesses have to be certified by the Department of Administrative Services, and register at the MDC Website, www.themdc.com. The MDC Board has specifically targeted local participation as a primary goal in the administra-tion of all MDC programs. To participate, please contact George Scurlock, Director of Diversity at (860) 278-7850 Ext. 3311