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{\info {\author Cheryl Stalter}
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\f1 \cf0 James Fang/BART Board Member:\'94 We will continue the example we set in transit
with the way we do business with small business.\'94\ \
Just as BART is the transportation backbone in the Bay Area, small businesses are the
backbone of our economy. And BART wants to give more of it\'92s business to small businesses.\
\ Wayne Wong: \'93 There\'92s certainly a need
for the types of services that you offer. We need office supplies, we\'92re always looking
for surveyors, photography and I\'92m here today to talk a little bit about what BART\'92s
trying to do to help small businesses.\'94\ \
From now on, large contracts will be combed through to find opportunities for small business
to bid on. This is called \'93 unbundling\'94, and carving up these large contracts in to
portions will result in more opportunities for small businesses. \
\ \'93I\'92m Annette Maxwell and my company
is Nakama Enterprises based in San Jose and we provide aerial and construction photography.\'94\
\ BART is holding a series out community outreach
meetings throughout the Bay Area, to get the word out. And that has some business owners
at the Richmond Recreation Center very excited.\ \
Annette Maxwell/Nakama Enterprises: \'93 I\'92m hopeful that BART has learned that it can
be separating large contracts into more manageable pieces so that small businesses can accept
and bid on these and actually win them and be able to perform well and become successful.\'94\
\ Each large project will now complete a \'93Contracting
Plan\'94 at the initial funding stages that provide a detailed description of all the
elements of the project. The plan provides a level of transparency to BART\'92s contracting
activities, but will also identify opportunities for small businesses.\
\ James Fang/BART Board Member:\'94 There is
a substantial amount of work, of procurement, that goes into everyday supplies. Whether
it\'92s copy paper, whether it\'92s toilet paper, whether it\'92s paperclips, whether
it\'92s hardware stores \'96 you name it BART contracts for it.\'94\
\ Angela Tickler/Hard Wear Store: \'93 I think
that it\'92s incredibly insightful the way that BART is looking to accomplish this and
for our local economy \'96 it could have a huge impact.\'94\
\ In addition to providing more opportunities
to small businesses, BART is also providing technical assistance\'85 helping out with
paperwork and making it easier to get bonded. BART is now also using a vendor payment tracking
system to help make sure the check is really in the mail.\
\ James Fang/BART Board Member:\'94 It\'92s
really quite exciting, a lot of these programs that we\'92re doing. And the key, to me, is
to not only acknowledge and respect the small businesses that are the backbone of this great
community but also to show how much we together can make a difference.\'94\
\ For more information on BART\'92s small business
innovative initiatives go to BART.gov\ \
Cheryl Stalter, for BARTtv.\ \
\ \
\ \
}