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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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4

Contractors Bid Hot and Heavy for 'Shovel-Ready' Jobs

States saving big time in fight for contracts

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(Newser) – Contractors are scrambling to get in line for stimulus-funded "shovel-ready" jobs, reports the Washington Post, and states are finding their stimulus dollars are going a lot further than expected as a result. Companies that were building subdivisions not so long ago are now competing for government jobs and going further afield to do so.

Contractors say they're branching out and slashing their bids to try and keep their workers busy until the industry rebounds. State officials say they're getting more bids than ever and are eying fresh projects with the savings. "Our bottom line is more bidders and better prices," said Maryland's transportation secretary, who bid out a $50 million project for $8 million less than expected. "This we like."

Construction companies have been reaching far outside their home states in an effort to win work on stimulus-funded projects.
Construction companies have been reaching far outside their home states in an effort to win work on stimulus-funded projects.   (©Valerie Everett)
In this Feb. 5, 2009, file photo Jerry Castillo, a concrete pump truck operator, right, controls the flow of concrete as Marcus Lopez works on the new I-40 Crosstown Bridge in Oklahoma City.
In this Feb. 5, 2009, file photo Jerry Castillo, a concrete pump truck operator, right, controls the flow of concrete as Marcus Lopez works on the new I-40 Crosstown Bridge in Oklahoma City.   (AP Photo/Bill Waugh, File)
State infrastructure officials say record numbers of bids are rolling in for
State infrastructure officials say record numbers of bids are rolling in for "shovel-ready" projects.   (©House Of Sims)
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The two winners are the public, which gets more improvements, and a net gain in jobs creation. It's a win across the board.
- John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

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4 comments
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Robert_Dada
Apr 8, 09 9:16 AM CDT
And simultaneously the weakening hard ons from every republican politician went immediately flacid. Reply
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ScreenName
Apr 8, 09 9:41 AM CDT
Is Blackwater shovel ready? Reply
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SPH
Apr 8, 09 4:21 PM CDT
Keynes would be proud...... Reply
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Robert_Dada
Apr 8, 09 6:23 PM CDT
Amen!
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