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Veteran's Business-Friendly Procurement Program Started
In 2015, an amendment was inserted into the State of Ohio's 2016-2017 Operating Budget Bill by State Representative Jim Butler which mandated the creation of a veteran's business-friendly procurement program. The language was place in a section of the bill that does not generally apply to the heavy/highway construction industry and, therefore, received no scrutiny by OCA. Once passed, the rules implementing the law were developed over the next two years primarily by the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) with what appears to be minimal input from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). Once formulated and nearly concurrently with submitting the rules for adoption by the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR), ODOT contacted OCA for comment. While our initial letter expressed objections to the rule and requested the rules be withdrawn at this time, ODOT and DAS continued with the approval process. The rules were approved by JCARR and became effective on April 27, 2017.
As defined in the rules:
DAS will administer the program that certifies that a business is "veteran-friendly." However, it appears that ODOT can accept paperwork at the time of bid wherein a company declares they believe they would qualify as a veteran-friendly business.
A veteran-friendly business is one that can meet any one of the following requirements: at least 51% ownership by an honorably discharged veteran or person on active service; or at least 51% representation by honorably discharged veterans or persons on active service on the board of directors; or 10% or more of the company's employees are honorably discharged veterans or on active service who have been employed by the company continuously for at least one year, working an average of at least a 20 hour week during the most recent 12-month period.
The bid preference for the veteran-friendly business is 2.5% for construction projects and 5% for goods and services. The preference applies to 100% state-funded project only. This program would not apply to projects in which federal funds are utilized.
At present, even with the rules in place, the manner in which the program will be administered has not been established. We understand that ODOT's Division of Opportunity, Diversity & Inclusion will administer the program. However, until DAS begins reviewing certification requests from contractors and issuing certifications, ODOT cannot make this a consideration when awarding projects. The timeline for when this process will be implemented has not been defined.
In the meantime, OCA has appealed to the Governor's Common Sense Initiative Office which is under the purview of Lt. Governor Mary Taylor. A copy of the appeal letter to the CSI can be found by clicking here.
At this time, there is little else to report. OCA will be closely monitoring ODOT and DAS in developing their respective administrative strategies for this program and will keep our membership updated as progress is made toward implementation.
OCA Future Leaders Forum Applications Now Being Accepted
OCA is now accepting applications for the 2017-2018 Future Leaders Forum. This forum is for the rising stars within our member companies. Due to tours and activities in which we participate, there is a limited number of participants we can accept. This program will provide our candidates with a wide range of educational opportunities specifically related to the heavy/highway industry. Application deadline is July 28, 2017. If you have any questions regarding the forum, please call Rachel Sirca. We look forward to working with our new forum members!
More information here.
Dinner meeting with GeoInstitute
The Central Ohio Chapter of the Geo-Institute (ASCE), invites all OCA members or guests to join us for a dinner and presentation about the sinkhole remediation at the National Corvette Museum. Mr. Michael Marasa from Hayward Baker will discuss various aspects of the sinkhole collapse at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY. However, it is not a highly technical analysis or case study. Rather, it gives due respect to the historical significance of the vehicles impacted by the collapse and includes bits of geology, history, engineering, anecdotes, photos, comedy, lore and an infatuation with America’s sports car.
The dinner is on Monday, June 12 at 6 PM at the Winking Lizard Tavern on Bethel Road in Columbus, Ohio. For more information and to register, please go to:www.centralohioasce.org
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