Columbia University hosted a workshop to assist minority-, women- and locally-owned (MWL) firms in completing the Turner Construction prequalification form. This form must be completed and accepted for firms to work with Turner Construction, the construction manager for the new Columbia Business School buildings in Manhattanville.
Organized by Facilities and Operations in partnership with Columbia’s School of Professional Studies and Turner Construction, the workshop was the second of a two-part series designed to assist MWL firms through the subcontractor prequalification application process required by large construction companies.
MWL firms were invited to participate even if they had not attended the previous information session, and received guided, line-by-line assistance to complete the form during the workshop. If firms were unable to finish by the end of the session, a follow-up one-on-one appointment could be scheduled with business advisors from the Columbia-Harlem Small Business Development Center located in the Columbia Business School
The pre-qualification form provided during the session, once approved, allows MWL firms to be eligible for work on any construction project managed by Turner Construction, including the new Columbia Business School buildings at the Manhattanville campus. Turner Construction entered into a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the Business School project which allows up to $25 million in contracts to be completed by non-union, MWL firms for work including carpentry, electrical, masonry, and HVAC.
A total of 44 MWL firms attended the combined sessions, and Facilities and Operations is working with approved firms to bid on available Turner Construction projects around the city.
