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SCC and Building Contractors Association of NJ Hold Workshop to Boost Participation Of Small Businesses in School Construction Program

SCC Mentor/Protégé Program also Debuts At Event Attended by 400 Representatives from Over 200 SBEs

Edison, NJ (November 23, 2004) – Nearly 400 representatives from 212 small business enterprise (SBE) corporations attended a Small Business Workshop today hosted by New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation (SCC) and Building Contractors Association of NJ (BCANJ) to learn more about work opportunities available to them through New Jersey’s unprecedented school construction program

At the free event, SCC also unveiled its new Mentor/Protégé Program that pairs up large construction firms with SBEs to teach them how to grow their businesses, participate in larger construction projects and possibly bid on larger jobs as prime contractors.

“The best way to learn how to manage large, multi-million dollar contracts is to work hand-in-hand with individuals who do it every day. We hope these mentor/protégé relationships will last for many years to come and really help grow smaller businesses,” noted Jack Kocsis, BCANJ Chief Executive Officer and SCC Chairman
Jack Kocsis, BCANJ Chief Executive Officer
and SCC Chairman
Koscis joined New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey, Janet Share Zatz, Deputy Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development Dan Kirton Jr., Vice President of Business Services & Urban Programs at the Commerce Department, and John F. Spencer, SCC Chief Executive Officer, in discussing how small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses can participate in the SCC’s unprecedented school building program.

“The SCC has been working hard over the past two years to create programs that will help small, minority- and women-owned businesses grow,” said SCC CEO Spencer. “The state’s school construction program is not just about building schools. It’s also about creating job opportunities.”

While the SCC has exceeded the state goal for SBE participation, Spencer said more work needs to be done to ensure that there is more diversity in the number of small businesses participating in the school construction program. Spencer said SBE participation in SCC projects across the State exceeded 33% ($350 million in SBE participation on $1.07 billion in construction contracts) from June of 2003 to June 2004.
SCC CEO Jack Spencer

“This is a good start but we are working to make these numbers even better,” he said.
Other successful SCC programs for SBEs include:

  • Office of Diversity– SCC created this office to focus solely on diversity. SCC provided the office with strong leadership and restructured it to reflect the agency’s ongoing commitment to small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses. Through this office SCC has developed a wide variety or programs to assist these SBEs in becoming a part of the program.
  • Carve Out Program – Set aside construction/design contracts specifically for bid by SBEs, making available more than 120 contracts worth $241 million;
  • Bonding and Working Capital Program – Enhances the ability of small, minority and women-owned firms to compete by acquiring surety bonding and working capital through access to free technical and financial assistance;
  • Owner-Controlled Insurance Program – Provides general liability and builder risk insurance for companies, including SBEs, who otherwise may not be able to obtain it.
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    Today’s SBE workshop, held at the NJ Convention Center Expo Hall in Edison, featured two-dozen general contractors who conducted one-on-one guidance sessions, and breakout sessions that addressed how to do business with SCC, how to compete for work once qualified, and testimonials by contractors doing business with the SCC.

    SCC is responsible for school construction projects throughout the State of New Jersey. The $8.6 billion program is the largest public construction program ever undertaken by New Jersey and represents one of the largest programs of its type in the nation.

    BCANJ was founded in 1937 and is the recognized building chapter in New Jersey for the Associated General Contractors of America and the largest general building contractor/construction management organization in the state. The BCANJ’s members are responsible for billions of dollars in public and private non-residential construction projects annually and employ tens of thousands of skilled craftworkers statewide.

    For more information about small business programs of SCC and BCANJ, visit www.njscc.com or call 609-292-1680 or visit www.bcanj.com


    		 
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