Interstate MAX Yellow Line: A National Model

Before construction began on the Interstate MAX Yellow Line, TriMet and prime contractors Stacy and Witbeck, Inc. and FE Ward worked to ensure that the line was built by people from the community, especially from North and Northeast Portland. As a result, local DBE firms secured 19 percent of the contract dollars—valued at $35 million—and 35 percent of workforce hours were completed by minorities and women. The project has become a national model for DBE participation.

Working with prime contractors and other agencies, TriMet developed creative ways to help DBE firms build their business capacity, such as:

• breaking scopes of work into smaller bid packages to encourage small contractors to bid
• rotating contracting opportunities created within a division of work
• providing technical and business assistance to ensure firms are able to provide the contracted work

TriMet hosted networking sessions to provide DBEs and other small contractors direct access to prime contractors seeking subcontractors. The agency also offered informative workshops on contracting, bonding, bidding and other topics of interest to DBEs. To obtain a copy of the Interstate DBE and Workforce story please contact LeAnne Brown.