The Daily Reporter - WI Construction News & Bids » preference

Editorial cartoon

Joe Yovino — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:39:12 +0000

Group sues Milwaukee over minority-preference ordinance (UPDATE)

Kirsten Klahn — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:55:05 +0000

The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin is suing Milwaukee to kill an ordinance that sets race-based preferences and goals for city construction contracts.

Milwaukee preps for minority contracting preference

admin — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 22:28:39 +0000

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By Marie Rohde Milwaukee is cautiously building toward a law that would direct more public contract money toward women- and minority-owned companies. The caution stems from a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that established lawmakers must prove past or present discrimination before creating a race-based program. Furthermore, according to the ruling, those programs must be [...]

Illinois preference law rattles contractors along the border

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:02:12 +0000

By Tony Anderson Special to The Daily Reporter An Illinois law requiring the use of state residents on public projects has Wisconsin contractors gauging the potential damage to their bottom lines. The amended law requires contractors use a work force of at least 90 percent Illinois residents when unemployment reaches 5 percent for two months [...]

Milwaukee bid preference cuts city contractor

Joe Yovino — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:26:43 +0000

By Sean Ryan M.J. Construction Inc. fell $17 short of winning its seventh Milwaukee contract under the city‘s local preference law. The law requires Milwaukee give a 5 percent bid preference to city-based companies, and a sewer project bid by Milwaukee-based M.J. exceeded that amount by $17. That means the city will accept a $143,550 [...]

Judge upholds local bid preference (UPDATE)

Joe Yovino — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:00:51 +0000

By Sean Ryan Milwaukee’s local bidder preference Monday withstood legal challenges filed by sewer contractors that lost projects because of the law. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge William Pocan ruled the city of Milwaukee can apply the preference to sewer and water projects that receive low-interest loans from the state’s Clean Water Fund. Contractors that [...]

Women-, minority-owned preference good in theory, bad in execution

Chris Thompson — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:55:55 +0000

By Chris Thompson

editor

State Sen. Glenn Grothman has taken to an extreme his opposition to preferences for women- and minority-owned companies. But he still presents a relevant argument.

Letter to the editor: One bad idea after another

Joe Yovino — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:38:49 +0000

To the editor: Financial incentives funded by the taxpayer for where a business is located? Financial incentives funded by the taxpayer for the geographical area in which employees live? Neither is the right answer. Incentivizing commercial enterprise to perform unnatural acts through hiring by geographic boundaries or domiciling their business in the city of Milwaukee [...]

Contractor warns county of the price of preference

Joe Yovino — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:16:10 +0000

By Sean Ryan A contractor is warning Milwaukee County that paperwork, oversight and program management are unavoidable costs of a local hiring preference for projects. “It might not cost bids, but it will cost taxpayers,” said Larry Rocole, vice president of J.P. Cullen & Sons Inc.’s Brookfield office, which is in Waukesha County. Milwaukee County [...]

Milwaukee County inches toward bidding preference

Joe Yovino — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:37:04 +0000

By Sean Ryan Milwaukee County soon could give a bidding advantage to the contractor that hires the most county residents for a project. The goal of the county resolution, sponsored by Johnny Thomas and Theo Lipscomb, is to eventually offer a preference to public works contractors that hire people who live in the county and, [...]

Disputed sewer contracts awarded to MJ Construction

Joe Yovino — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:20:53 +0000

By Sean Ryan Milwaukee has awarded two sewer projects that were caught in a dispute over the city’s bidding preference for local contractors. The two sewer construction and repair contracts, which have a combined value of $1.2 million, were awarded to Milwaukee-based MJ Construction Inc. Sanitary Sewer Main Relay and Lining Sanitary Sewer Main Relay [...]

Subcontractors seek project delivery guarantees

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:11:30 +0000

By Paul Snyder Subcontractors want guarantees the lowest responsible bid still will win the jobs before the Wisconsin Legislature passes a bill changing delivery methods for state projects. The bill right now does not include those guarantees, leading some subs to argue in favor of the status quo. “The system right now is completely transparent,” [...]

State’s 5 percent preference for minority builders could help others

Rick Benedict — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:09:14 +0000

By Sean Ryan sean.ryan@dailyreporter.com Steve Ristow was the low bidder on a state project and lost the job because Wisconsin offers a preference for minority-owned companies. Ristow said he expects that defeat to pay off for him. The bid preference helps minority-owned companies get contracts so they can grow, said Ristow, president and owner of [...]

Milwaukee might expand preference law

Joe Yovino — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:37:54 +0000

Sean Ryan sean.ryan@dailyreporter.com The regional market around Milwaukee would be better served if the city kills its local-business preference rather than tweaking it to broaden the pool of participants, according to a contractor association leader. “In some regards, I wish they would do it sooner rather than later,” said Jeffrey Beiriger, executive director of the [...]