San Diego, CA (PRWEB) January 29, 2014
Gafcon Inc., a leading provider of technology-enabled, construction consulting services, announced today the launch of QualityBidders, an automated online tool that enables California school districts to prequalify construction contractors in order to comply with a new state law that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2014.
California Assembly Bill (AB) 1565 mandates that school districts must now prequalify both general contractors and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (M/E/P) subcontractors. (Previously, prequalification was voluntary, and only required for general contractors.) The new law applies to all districts in the state with more than 2,500 students and with contracts valued at $1 million or more, funded entirely or in part by state bond funds.
“We are finding that many districts have been caught unprepared for this change, which poses a tremendous burden on their staffs and puts their projects at risk,” said Gafcon CEO Yehudi “Gaf” Gaffen. “We have developed an online tool that streamlines the entire prequalification process, allowing districts to become compliant in just one day, while saving significant time, money and resources.”
With QualityBidders, the automated system gathers all of the necessary information from contractors through a standardized questionnaire. The system then uses software algorithms to score the data, emails a status update to the applicants, and automatically creates the mandatory reporting for compliance. School districts maintain complete control of the entire process while eliminating several hours of tedious, time-consuming work for district personnel.
QualityBidders is the first turnkey, Web-based tool to be made available to all districts in the state. The Grossmont Union High School District in San Diego County is already utilizing QualityBidders as part of its $417 million Proposition U school bond program.
The benefits of the QualityBidders tool include:
- Standardized questions based on AB 1565 and Department of Industrial Relations guidelines
- Automatic disqualifiers and license verification
- Rejection of incomplete applications
- Fast and efficient approvals through automated review and scoring
- Automated emails notifying contractor of application status (approved, rejected or requiring additional information)
- Entirely paperless process – districts log-in to a secure hosted server to view questionnaire, scoring and required documentation to quickly qualify/disqualify a bidder
- Automated pre-approved contractor list to post on district website
- Streamlined, easy renewal process – the contractor updates and resubmits the questionnaire, so district only needs to review the new information
Contractors also benefit from the QualityBidders tool, as they only need to fill out a single online application and can quickly submit it to all school districts that have opted in to the system.
With AB 1565 now in effect, Gaffen warns that districts will see a dramatic increase in the number of applications being submitted for review and approval in the coming weeks and months, which will place an additional burden on district resources.
In order to help district personnel better understand the implications of the new mandate, Gafcon will be hosting a series of weekly, no-cost, educational webinars. For a schedule of upcoming webinars, visit http://www.qualitybidders.com or contact the QualityBidders team at 619.243.7428 or sales(at)qualitybidders(dot)com.
About Gafcon Inc.
Founded in 1987 by Pam and Yehudi Gaffen, Gafcon Inc. is a leading provider of technology-enabled consulting services that reduce the total cost of facility ownership. Gafcon’s owner-centric approach and technology focus reduces costs, increases efficiencies and meets schedules with excellence. The company employs more than 150 multi-disciplinary construction and technology professionals and has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing firms in its industry. Gafcon maintains its corporate headquarters in downtown San Diego, with a branch office in Los Angeles. For more information, visit http://www.gafcon.com.
###