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The NJ Schools Development Authority (SDA) is committed to providing opportunities for Small Business Enterprises (SBEs) to participate in the school construction program.
The Authority has an SBE program, which has a goal of ensuring that 25% of the total dollar value of every publicly advertised contract procured by the SDA is awarded to small businesses. Additionally, SDA advocates and encourages subcontract awards to Minority (MBE) and/or Women-Owned (WBE) firms on school projects.
Only businesses registered as SBEs by the NJ Department of Treasury are eligible to participate under the SDA Small Business Enterprise program.
The SDA Small Business Enterprise program’s 25% goal can be met in two ways:
1) The SDA may designate certain contracts as set-aside contracts open to bid by SBE-registered Prime Consultants, Contractors or Vendors only. These contracts will be clearly identified in all bid advertisements as SBE set-aside contracts.
2) For all contracts (including set-aside contracts), prime consultants, prime contractors and prime vendors are required to award contracts totaling a minimum of 25% to registered SBE subcontractors/sub-consultants and/or sub-vendors.
Click here to see a list of Upcoming Contract Opportunities for all SDA projects.
The dollar value of the SBE set-aside contracts awarded by the SDA to prime contractors or consultants or vendors, and those associated subcontracts awarded to SBE subcontractors/sub-consultants and sub-vendors by these primes, are then totaled. This total is used to calculate whether the prime has met its minimum 25% SBE compliance goal, or demonstrated a substantiated good-faith effort to identify and consider available SBE subcontractors, sub-consultants and sub-vendors for participation in the projects it has been awarded.
The SDA's demolition pool program involves demolition projects generally ranging from $1 million to $5 million. Because of the dollar amount involved, these projects typically are well-suited for SBE contractors. Under the program, the SDA enters into contracts with a pool of prequalified contractors who are eligible for demolition or general contracting work. Enrollment in the pool is reopened every 6 months. The next opening for pool enrollment is July 2010.
You may access information regarding registered small businesses and certified minority and women-owned businesses by utilizing the SDA directory of contractors and consultants as well as the New Jersey Selective Assistance Vendor Information (NJSAVI) database.
2010 Contractor Business Development Program
On March 30, 2010, the SDA and Rutgers’ New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) announced a partnership to create the Contractor Business Development Program. This initiative, aimed at providing business management technical assistance, will enable more small, minority and women-owned businesses to bid on State school facilities construction projects. This program combines informational seminars, instruction and one-on-one technical assistance to participating businesses. Firms selected to participate in the program learn from experts in the areas of finance, estimating, bonding, project management, bidding and marketing.
The first session began in the Spring of 2010 with 34 companies received Certificates of Completion from the program in June.
The next session will begin on August 19, 2010. For more information and pre-qualification requirements, please contact Charles Jackson, Program Director at (973) 353-5965 or cjj@njsbdc.com. You can also visit the NJSBDC web site for program details.
NJSAVI Database
NJSAVI is a database designed to assist small, minority and/or women-owned businesses that wish to do business with the State of New Jersey and the private sector. The database helps to identify businesses eligible for legislatively mandated state programs, such as the New Jersey Set-Aside Act, and aids in matching buyers and vendors for private contracting opportunities.
For more information on statewide listing of firms certified as small, woman and minority owned business enterprises and to learn more about the Standards of Eligibility to become registered as a "Small Business" contact the Business Services Call Center at 1-866-534-7789, or visit New Jersey’s business web portal: http://www.nj.gov/njbusiness/contracting
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