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10/22/2004

THREE SMALL FIRMS BAND TOGETHER TO SNIFF OUT A BIG METRO CONTRACT
Colt Safety News - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)
May 21, 2004
THREE SMALL FIRMS BAND TOGETHER TO SNIFF OUT A BIG METRO CONTRACT
Author: Shera Dalin
Of The Post-Dispatch

SMALL BUSINESS ALLIANCE SMALL BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP METRO
CONTRACT BID STRATEGY SUCCESS METRO SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDES
POLICY
* The firms convinced officials they could handle the gas-detection job.
An unusual partnership of companies just completed a nearly $500,000 contract with Metro, breaking the perception that technical minority-owned or disadvantaged firms didn't exist in the area.
The coalition installed a leak-detection system for methane and compressed natural gas at Metro's Brentwood garage. The three-firm partnership finished the work this month and received excellent reviews from Metro."They came in on time and on budget. They even went above and beyond," said Anthony Angel, contract manager for Metro.
"They appeared to work very, very well together. That's due to leadership," he said. "They have a very collaborative mindset."
The partnership was led by Christine J. Bierman, chief executive of Colt Safety, Fire & Rescue in Brentwood. Also involved were Tony Bogan, president of TB Enterprises of St. Louis Inc., and Suzanne Joyce ! of TechGuard Security in Chesterfield.
About a year ago, one of Bierman's sales reps heard that Metro was preparing to bid out the $487,000 gas-detection system job. But when she investigated, she found that no minority- or women-vendor contracting goals had been set for the project.
"They eliminated the diversity goal because they didn't think there was anyone who was able to do it locally," Bierman said. "They say it's hard for them, but I don't think they are looking in the right places."
The federal government, which paid for 80 percent of the project, sets a guideline - not a requirement - of 5 percent minority or disadvantaged business participation for its contracts. St. Louis sets 30 percent as the target.
But on federal contracts, if zero or one potential contractor is listed in the North American Industrial Classification code, the set-asides can be abandoned, Angel said.
"They have to show that there is not a readily available c! adre of people who can do this work," he said.
Metro, which has been criticized for contracting with too few minority-owned businesses, set aside the contracting goals because the transportation agency didn't find any prospective disadvantaged firms listed, Angel said.
"As a general principle, Metro does seek minority-, disadvantaged- or women-owned businesses to take on a portion of contracts," he said.
Bierman decided to seek the contract by forming an alliance with Bogan's company, which had installed Colt's telephone system several years ago, and with TechGuard. Bogan, who has no permanent employees and hires contract workers as needed, would run the cable and wiring for the system; TechGuard would set up the computer system linking all the sensors that Colt would install.
The alliance bid on the project and beat out two other contractors to win the job, but only after Bierman struggled to post a $500,000 bond to do the work and presented audited financial statements.
"It's what the big boys do," she said! . "I've proven that we are a prime contractor, a major player. It's our second-largest, one-shot project."
Eugene K. Leung, director of contracts for Metro, said it's unusual for a partnership of this sort to form - and even more unusual for it to succeed.
"For a contract to be performed 100 percent by a (disadvantaged business) is rare, particularly in (Bierman's) line of business. What is unique is that a woman-owned business is even in that market niche," Leung said.
Often, such partnerships do poorly because one of the members doesn't cooperate with another, either because of greed or ego. As a result, the work is done poorly, is late or one of the partners loses money on the deal, Angel said.
Although this was an average-sized project for TB Enterprises, Bogan said he wouldn't have tried to bid on the work by himself because of the cost and lack of experience in all of the areas it involved.
But the partners said they want to try to b! id on more work of this kind in other cities and at other levels of go vernment.
Bierman said she will continue to push government agencies to contract with disadvantaged firms more often, particularly with MetroLink, the new Cardinals stadium and the Lambert Field expansion.
= = = =
Banding together
Three small St. Louis-area companies partnered to land a contract with Metro:
Colt Safety, Fire & Rescue
Owner: Christine J. Bierman
Phone: 314-961-4414

TB Enterprises of St. Louis Inc.
Owner: Tony Bogan
Phone: 314-743-1005

TechGuard Security
Owner: Suzanne Joyce
Phone: 636-519-4848

10/22/2004

SBA - TV Interview
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10/15/2004

SBA Women of the Year Award Orlando May 2004
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9/17/2004

MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT FOR CITY WON BY COLT SAFETY!
Colt Safety News - In December of 1999 after a 3-year evaluation, Colt Safety, Inc won the contract at the St. Louis City Fire Department that outfitted 850 city fire fighters with new state of the art self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA's). Our product and service, which is second to none in the industry, replaced a competitive product that the city had used for 36 years. In a 22-page evaluation documentation, Colt Safety ("the local distributor") was the only company singled out for exceptional services rendered during evaluation.

12/1/1999

COLT SAFETY INVOLVED IN GOVERNMENTS ANTI TERRORRISM PROJECT!
Colt Safety News - In January of 1999 Colt Safety, Inc competitively bid all hazardous response equipment for the PAPAL VISIT. Congressman Dick Gephardt secured last minute $400,000 funding under the NUNN-LUGER-DOMENICI ANTI-TERRORISM ACT. Colt Safety had 3 weeks (in the middle of a snow storm on the East Coast) to place, receive, deliver and then train the St. Louis Fire, Police and first responders on the use of highly technical equipment including a weapons of mass destruction gas chromatograph.

1/1/1999

COLT SAFETY IMPLEMENTS VENDOR SHELVING AT SHELL OIL!
Colt Safety News - In 1986 Colt Safety, Inc designed and implemented the first ever vendor-shelving program for the then SHELL OIL WOOD RIVER, IL REFINERY and continued to service that contract at a 94% error-free rate for the next 8 years.

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