One of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce‘s most important roles is connecting industry concerns to the broader policy and economic development priorities that influence how public dollars are spent and how local businesses compete.
That was exactly the Chamber’s role on June 22.
Several Springfield-area contractors contacted the Chamber regarding the City of Springfield’s City Hall Deferred Maintenance and Modernization Project, a capital improvement project that includes office renovations, accessibility improvements, building system upgrades, interior reconfiguration, and deferred maintenance. City Council was preparing to consider authorizing the City Manager to proceed with the recommended Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC), a California-based national construction firm with annual revenues exceeding $4 billion. Local contractors questioned whether the procurement process provided qualified regional firms a meaningful opportunity to compete and whether the anticipated cost savings justified foregoing the broader economic benefits of awarding work to qualified local firms and subcontractors during a period of slowing construction activity and industry layoffs…