The national economic slowdown and housing market has significantly impacted the local building industry with a loss of more than 10,000 jobs over the last year. In an effort to boost employment, Miami-Dade County has created an Economic Stimulus Package that could inject millions into the South Florida economy over the next two years.
The Economic Stimulus Ordinance proposed by Mayor Carlos Alvarez, and approved by the Board of County Commissioners on July 17, 2008, is intended to expedite the process of awarding contracts for County capital improvement projects in order to get already funded projects underway more quickly. The ordinance, put in place for the next two years, streamlines the bid award process and fast-tracks more than $600 million in projects over the next 12-18 months. The new contracting eliminates some steps and consolidates others.
The Office of Capital Improvements, which is overseeing the initiative, estimates that the process will reduce the County contracting process by as much as four months.
|