Community Employment Assistance Network – CEAN

             News Release

PRESS OFFICE                  

SBA Offers $10 Million Surety Bond Guarantee

Aids Recovery in Construction and Service Sectors

WASHINGTON – Building on Recovery Act provisions implemented earlier this year, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced today it can now provide surety bond guarantees on federal contracts valued at up to $10 million, if the contracting officer certifies that the guarantee is in the best interests of the government. An Interim Final Rule is available for public inspection at The Federal Register. 

Currently, under a related provision of the Recovery Act that was implemented in March, SBA can provide bond guarantees up to $5 million through September 2010 on all public and private contracts and subcontracts.  SBA partners with the surety industry to help small businesses that would otherwise be unable to obtain bonding in the traditional commercial marketplace.  Under the partnership, SBA provides a guarantee to the participating surety company of between 70 and 90 percent of the bond amount.

“Raising the surety bond limit is a critical step in making sure small businesses in the construction and service sector have access to federal contracting opportunities that will help drive economic recovery,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said. “These changes support small and emerging businesses nationwide, particularly construction contractors who have seen their markets hurt by a poor economy and lagging construction.”

Additional program enhancements published in the rule include:

·        a new small business size standard for this program;

·        authorization for SBA to exercise discretion in deciding bond liability issues; and,

·        a definition of “Order” issued under an Indefinite Delivery Contract.

The new size standard (which will be in effect until Sept. 30, 2010) temporarily replaces the current size standard for the surety bond guarantee program. It states that a business is small if the business, combined with its affiliates, does not exceed the size standard designated for the primary industry of the business combined with its affiliates.  The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes contained in 13 CFR Part 121 establishes size standards for all industries http://www.sba.gov/contractingopportunities/owners/basics/GC_SMALL_BUSINESS.html. 

Through its Bond Guarantee program, SBA will also help by guaranteeing bid, payment and performance bonds to protect the project owner against financial loss if a contractor defaults or fails to perform.

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Surety Bond – Page 2

Finally, the rule adds a definition for an “Order” issued under an Indefinite Delivery Contract to clarify that SBA bond guarantees apply to individual orders, as well as contracts.

SBA assistance in locating a participating surety company or agent, and completing application forms, is available online.  For more information on SBA’s Surety Bond Guarantee Program, including Surety Office contacts, go online to http://www.sba.gov/osg/ , or call 1-800-U ASK SBA.

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June 19, 2009

Dear Media Representative:

Due to the uncertainty in the current state of the economy, it is imperative that small businesses, especially minority owned-businesses, tap into the financial resources and contracting opportunities that are available as a result of the President’s Recovery Act and stimulus funds.  The Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week conference will provide informative plenary sessions, educational workshops and business networking opportunities to help minority small businesses leverage and grow their businesses to weather the current economic climate.  Minority businesses that attend will become more innovative and competitive in the federal and commercial markets. 

I would like to invite you to attend/cover this monumental event celebrating outstanding minority entrepreneurs and leaders under the theme, “Energizing the American Economy with Minority Business Enterprises.”  The conference will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., on August 26-28, 2009.  If you are interested in covering this event and/or interviewing an SBA official or MED Week award winners, please contact Tiffani Clements at (202) 401-0035 or at: tiffani.clements@sba.gov.

Small businesses can learn more about the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) government contracting initiatives during its workshop, “Win Government Contracts for Your Small Business,” by authors John DiGiacomo and James Kleckner on August 26 from 1:30pm-5:30pm.  On August 27, the SBA will host another workshop on Strategic Alliances and SBA’s Mentor-Protegé program from 2:15pm-6:00pm. 

MED Week is co-hosted by the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency and the SBA. 

MED Week 2008 Conference Highlights

·        White House Reception on the eve of the MED Week conference on August 26.

·        MED Week Welcome Reception on the evening of August 26.

·        Meet Your White House Breakfast series keynote speaker from Obama Administration on August 27.

·        Congressional Breakfast keynote from member of U.S. House of Representatives.

·        MED Week Business Expo and Trade show on August 28 from 9:15am-5:00pm.

·        SBA Administrator will be a keynote speaker during the Administrator’s luncheon on the afternoon of August 28.

·        Business-to-Business Linkage forum to provide networking opportunities for minority entrepreneurs to market their goods and services to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies.  Contracting opportunities session from 9:15am-11:30am and financing opportunities session from 2:00pm-5:00pm on August 28 (pre-registration required and invitation only).

·        Award ceremonies including closing MED Week awards dinner on the evening of August 28.

Former MED Week participants include keynote speaker, Vice President Dick Cheney (2003) Secretary of State, Colin Powell (2002), White House Chief-of-Staff, Andrew Card (2002), White House Senior Advisor, Karl Rove (2001), former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill (2002) and the son of WEB Dubois, renowned civil rights leader and scholar, accepted a posthumous award on behalf of his father (2003), Ambassador Susan C. Schwab, US Trade Representative and Kwame Jackson, 1^st runner up of the first season of NBC’s “Apprentice” reality show.

For more information about the MED Week 2009 conference, please visit the Web site below at: www.medweek.gov.  Thanks for considering us for this opportunity.

Tiffani Shea Clements

Employer Incentive

Federal Bonding Program

Ex-offender job seekers who have in the past committed a crime, which cast doubt upon their credibility or honesty, often experience barriers to gaining employment.  Ex-offenders are routinely classified as “at risk” job applicants and employers view these applicants as being potentially untrustworthy workers.  The results are ex-offender job applicants are routinely denied employment.

The U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) sought a means of eliminating bonding as a barrier to employment as to ease employer concerns that at risk job applicants would be untrustworthy workers.  In 1966, the U.S. Department of Labor created the Federal Bonding Program (FBP) that would cover anyone who was at risk and formerly classified as NOT BONDABLE.

In August 1998, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction was authorized by the National Director of the Federal Bonding Program to manage a program for Ohio.  Ohio’s eligibility criteria are that the ex-offender’s criminal history must be verifiable; the ex-offender is not self-employed; and the job verification and request for bonding occurs before the first day of work.  Bonding coverage is processed the day of the request and is effective on the ex-offender’s first day of work.  Fidelity Bond Insurance is effective for six (6) months with a coverage amount of $5000. Additional coverage amounts may be awarded on a case review basis.

The Federal Bonding Program is currently administered in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.   To obtain information contact the Bureau of Quality & Community Partnerships at

(614) 728-1534.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program (WOTC)

AND

Welfare-to-Work (WtW) Tax Credit

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and Welfare-to-Work (WtW) Tax Credit Program are federal income tax credits that encourage employers to hire ex-felons and other targeted groups of job seekers (e.g., Veterans, TANF Recipients, 18-24 year old Food Stamp Recipients, ex-felons, 18-24 year old EZ/EC Residents and 16-17 year old Summer Youth, Vocational Rehabilitation Referrals, SSI Recipients, and Long-Term Assistance Recipients). 

WOTC is designed to help job seekers most in need of employment gain on-the-job experience and move towards economic self-sufficiency.

The Ohio Department of Job & Family Services, ODJFS, is the designated agency responsible for administering the program. Employers must apply for and receive certification from the ODJFS WOTC/WtW Section.

WOTC/WtW follows the rules and regulations set forth in the U.S. Department of Labor ETA Handbook No. 408 in the validation of each request, coordinates, and plans the operation of this federally-funded program and insures that accurate and timely validations are accomplished.

Important:  The IRS 8850 form used to apply for these programs must be an original with original applicant and employer signatures.  It must be postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service within 21 days of the Start-to-Work Date to be timely and mailed to the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services, Bureau of Support Services, WOTC/WtW Section, P.O. Box 1618, Columbus, Ohio  43216-1618. 

To obtain additional information, you may contact:

Ohio Department of Job & Family Services

Bureau of Support Services, WOTC/WtW Section

Telephone:  614-644-0966

Fax:  (614) 644-7102

E-mail Address:  wotc_contact@odjfs.state.oh.us

Website:              www.jfs.ohio.gov/wotc/

Columbus-NE  (Westerville)  Chapter 

 meets on the  third Friday  of  every month     

Mission Statement:      

                                                To provide a forum where marketplace Christians can connect  

                                                              and support one another on a consistent basis.

Purpose:  

Facilitate our members’ business growth

Foster God -honoring relationships

: Fellowship, Prayer, Lunch, Announcements, Business Devotional, Networking Tips, Featured Business Presentations, Introductions and Networking.Agenda

When and Where: All meetings are from 11:30 AM -1:00 PM at M C L Cafeteria, 60 Westerville Square. Go North from I-270 at Westerville Road–Rt. 3; go Right at Westerville Square (the third stoplight) for ~0.1 mi.) 

RSVP: Jerry King, 614 899 9870 or  jking @ ameritech.net 

Luncheon Cost:  Each attendee pays for their own meal.  A $2.00 meeting and registration fee is collected by Christian Marketplace Network .

Membership: $100.00 for one-year

Visit  Christian  Marketplace  Network online at www. cmn -usa.

From: LaShawn Capito [mailto:lcapito@cchouse.org]
Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 4:22 PM
Subject: July Angel Food Orders