Call for contractors >> 'small guys' sought for FasTracks.

• Author: Guettler, Amy
• Position: Project of regional transportation district

THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION District's $4.7 billion FasTracks mass-transit project holds ample opportunity for area building contractors. But spreading the word about the opportunity to small, minority-owned or disadvantaged businesses has been a challenge for RTD.

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"We want to ensure that a project as major as FasTracks is not entirely consumed by big-business contractors," says Pauletta Tonilas, FasTracks' public information manager.

"We're engaged in an effort to give all Colorado business owners a chance to contribute to this program. And with a 12-year time frame, we'll need many contractors. We want to maximize opportunities so the small guy has just as much opportunity as the big players."

FasTracks will add 119 miles of rail, 18 miles of bus rapid-transit service, 21,000 new parking spaces at rail and bus stations, and expanded bus service along many of the city's most congested corridors. A portion of the billions that will fund FasTracks comes from federal dollars, requiring that disadvantaged or minority-owned businesses be included in the work.

But getting these businesses to sign on has not been easy.

To overcome this obstacle, RTD, along with several large contract winners, are reaching out to local business owners to encourage their participation.

"Trying to convince someone they have an opportunity is the problem," says Kenn Hardin, manager of FasTracks business-outreach program. "If they are willing and able to get the...