Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 8, 1993 TAG: 9306080269
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Nash is determined to show that small, women- and minority-owned businesses will have an equal chance to get part of the work on the Hotel Roanoke renovation project.
He also promised Monday night to do everything he can to ensure that union workers have a fair shot at the project's construction jobs.
"I want the unions to feel they are part of the project," said Nash, who has been hired by the city to increase local participation in the project.
Union leaders complain that union workers were excluded from city projects in recent years, including the Dominion Tower.
Nash, on a six-month leave from his job as deputy director of Total Action Against Poverty to work for the city, met recently with some union leaders and said he understands their concerns.
C.W. Toney, a union leader, said Monday night he believes Nash is sincere. But Toney said he will wait to see if Nash's intentions and sincerity have affect the contractors and workers on the project.
Because of complaints by union leaders and others, the city and Virgina Tech have created a special team to help make sure local workers, subcontractors and suppliers get part of the work.
Nash and the rest of the team met with more than 100 contractors, subcontractors and suppliers Monday night to explain a pre-qualification procedure for firms to become eligible to bid.
Firms wanting some of the work will be required to complete forms detailing their work history, experience, finances and other factors to determine if they are qualified. Only those firms who pre-qualify will be eligible to bid.
The general contractors for the project have already been chosen: F.N. Thompson of Charlotte, N.C., and J.M. Turner and Co., a Roanoke Valley company. Thompson and Turner will determine which firms will qualify to bid.
The pre-qualifying procedure is designed to expand, not exclude, the number of bidders, said Ron Leeper of F.N. Thompson.
Small companies can team up or join with large companies to bid on different parts of the work, Leeper said. He also said the bid bonds might be waived in some cases.
Mike Fariss, vice president of J.M. Turner and Co., said the contracts will be awarded to the lowest responsible bidders. All things being equal, however, the bids from local companies with women and minority employees will be "looked at favorably," Leeper said.
Companies wanting to pre-qualify must complete the forms by June 30. They will be informed by mid-July on whether they can bid on the project.
by CNB