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BART Earthquake Safety Program Small Business Support

The $1.3-billion Earthquake Safety Program (ESP) afforded many professional services and contracting opportunities. BART instituted the Small Business Support Services (SBSS) program with the intent to expand the pool of available small businesses (SBs) qualified to participate as subcontractors on the ESP on 24+ construction contracts; improve the success rate for utilizing small businesses; and help to ensure that the small business once awarded work were able to perform successfully.

Services Provided: The Allen Group worked in conjunction with the Office of Civil Rights, providing a full range of services to develop, implement, and manage the SBSS program. Pre-bid services included: outreach to provide information about program services and activities; matchmaking with general contractors; assistance with preparing qualifications; and help in understanding scope and other requirements in contract packages. Post-award services included: outreach to ensure that small businesses were performing and to help identify issues and resolutions; and contract compliance support to help small businesses understand what is needed to administer their contracts and perform the work to meet BART’s requirements. The team also developed and administered the SBSS program database, and developed an SBSS Handbook addressing frequently asked questions.