Contracting preferences for Restore Act-funded projects
Recommendations to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council.
The people who live and work along America’s Gulf Coast have confronted enormous setbacks and challenges in the past decade or so. From Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to the unprecedented BP oil spill in 2010, the region has endured the damaging, ongoing effects of natural and man-made disasters. Sadly, every blow to the environment and the economy has hit the most vulnerable coastal communities the hardest.
The influx of coastal restoration funds and the associated rise in demand for skilled workers brought about by the Restore Act will require coordination and communication between training programs, workforce agencies and contractors to help match workers with job openings. Fortunately, many of these occupations are already well established in the coastal economy; a significant number of these jobs are already in high demand and many require training that can be completed in two years or less.
In the effort to help determine the best ways to reach out to local, disadvantaged groups in the Gulf Coast, Oxfam America partnered with the Louisiana State University Division of Economic Development to determine best practices in contracting preferences for projects funded through the Restore Act.
This document summarizes findings and recommendations.