Table of Contents
Action Items
| Implement the Mentor-Protégé
Program. |
OSWER piloted the Agency's Mentor-Protégé Program in
Superfund Response Action Contracts to stimulate the
participation of small and disadvantaged businesses in its
contracting. The Office is pleased that this Program is now
being implemented Agency-wide. The Mentor-Protégé program
provides pre-award evaluation credit to encourage contractors
to enter into agreements to provide technical and managerial
support to small and disadvantaged business subcontractors.
Through the Program, these firms can develop the necessary
expertise to compete successfully for future prime and
subcontract opportunities.
| Promote increased use of local
and small and disadvantaged businesses. |
Promoting opportunities for local communities and small
and disadvantaged business continues to be top priority. The
Office is working with State and local governments to promote
use of local labor and more contractor interaction with the
community. Community Economic Partnership Seminars have been
developed to promote opportunities for local communities by
providing practical tools needed for businesses to become
eligible to participate in Federal contracting. These include
workshops and panels with representatives from financial
institutions, training centers, and labor unions. These
seminars provide a forum for participants to network directly
with EPA prime contractors on subcontracting opportunities,
and with Federal, State, and local agencies on local grant
and contract opportunities.
To encourage Superfund contractors to promote
environmental justice, OSWER, OARM, and the Regions have
developed environmental justice award-fee criteria for the
award-fee plans of all new Response Action Contracts (RACs).
The RACs are the long-term remedial cleanup contracts placed
in the Regions to support the Superfund program. The
environmental justice award-fee criteria provide monetary
incentives for contractors to demonstrate a commitment toward
environmental justice throughout contract performance. In
1995, the criteria were incorporated into the first RACs and
will continue to be incorporated into all 20-25 RACs as they
are being awarded over the next four years.
Region 2 reports the number of subcontracts awarded under
prime contracts to small businesses and small and
disadvantaged businesses in individual ARCS contracts to the
Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
(OSDBU) . Prime contractors are encouraged to award from 30
to 40 percent of the available subcontracts to small and
disadvantaged businesses. The Region promotes the achievement
of this goal through performance award fee incentives. ARCS
contractors were requested to submit this information by
March 1, 1995, and every six months thereafter.
The START contract has been awarded, and the RACs contract
is in the planning and procurement phase. The Region has had
the successful START contractor include a proportion of Small
Disadvantaged Businesses and Small Business Enterprises
(SDB/SBE) participation in its prime contract with EPA. This
item was pursued in accordance with the Mentor-Protégé Plan
approved by EPA Headquarters. A similar strategy will be
followed for the RACs procurement.
The Region reports on the status of meeting the SDB/SBE
goals established in individual ARCS contracts. The
statistics are reported semiannually to the EPA Headquarters
OSDBU. Achievement of the SBE/SBDE goals is considered during
the semiannual award fee determinations. Reporting on this
item is expected to continue in future contracts.
| 3/95 |
Information submitted by ARCS
contractors. |
| 8/95 |
START contract awarded. |
| Shaheer Alvi |
(212) 637-4324 |
| Keith Kollar |
(212) 637-4325 |
| Incorporate environmental justice
language into grants and cooperative agreements. |
Many innovative and precedent-setting techniques and
administrative tools have been utilized by Region 6 in
negotiating several Tribally led environmental programs, all
of which are specified as 100- percent Minority Business
Enterprise accomplishments. The new Inter-Tribal
Environmental Council of Oklahoma, as well as the Region's
other established Indian-lead Superfund programs includes
recipient-pledged Minority Business Enterprise/Women Business
Enterprise goals in excess of Congressional mandates,
resulting in a greater than 100 percent Minority Business
Enterprise/Women Business Enterprise utilization.
| Mark Satterwhite |
(214) 665-8505 |
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