Economic Stimulus Package

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

In 2008, Miami-Dade County created an Economic Stimulus Program to address the national economic slowdown and its severe impact on South Florida’s building industry. The Office of Capital Improvements, working in tandem with twelve of Miami-Dade’s capital departments, identified approximately $600 million in funded capital projects that could be accelerated over the next 18 months if a combination of innovative administrative actions and new legislative policies were adapted. This effort to fast-track county capital contracts is aimed at boosting South Florida’s construction industry and cushioning the effect of a decline in the housing market. Because this economic crisis has been harsh on Miami’s building industries, thousands of jobs in the building professions (architects and engineers) and trades (carpenters, welders, and electricians) have been lost. By expediting the timetables on capital contracts, the county is taking measures to put work back on the streets immediately. Not only would this program curtail job losses in the construction industry, but the county could potentially benefit from lower prices in a highly competitive marketplace. The Economic Stimulus Package called for the county to take aggressive steps during the first 30-120 days of the program to compress construction contracting timetables. The procurement process for professional service agreements and construction contracts was streamlined to reduce the time to award qualifying contracts. The resulting efficiency has reduced each architectural and engineering procurement cycle by approximately 90 to 120 days. This aggressive, pro-active approach accelerated close to $300 million in county projects.