District gets firms ready to help in stimulus work - Washington Business Journal:

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A city meeting room on North Capitol Street was filled beyondr capacity March 31 when hundred s of small business leaders showed up for a presentatiomn from the District government oncontracting opportunities. Promptefd by the overflow, the city held a second round tableApril 3. D.C. has not taken a count of how much stimulus moneh has been spentto date, according to the District’se , but the agency has shiftecd staff to stimulus contracts to expedite their processing. “We’re putting extr people on the stimulus project to make surewe don’t lose the said spokesman Briant Coleman.
Agencies overseeing transportation, the environment, housing and health have been releasing their lists of priorities forthe funds, expectee to top $800 million through fiscal 2011. The transit agencu wants to repave streets andrevamp sidewalks, while the environmental agenchy plans to spend $4.8 millio n putting solar panels on schools and $600,000 for processingv trees into timber that coulxd be used for municipal construction. The D.C. Housinfg Authority, an independent agency, intendds to perform $27 million in upgrades to the city’s public housinh units.
Barack Obama’s inauguration providedx the District with a test run for thestimulu program, said Victor who manages a city system that trackse agency performance. “It gives us confidence that we’re ready for the he said. The city is also lookinbg for the federal government to add contractint and oversight jobs in conjunction with the One estimate, by the independent Partnership for Public Service, shows the region adding 12,500 federalk government jobs by 2012.
The did not offer a projection for but it is planning a job fair at the this summer and is in dire need of human resourcesand grant-management personnel, to the point that Congresse may rework a rule so agencies can better ease retireesw back onto their employmentf rolls temporarily. The job fair had been planned for May, but agenciesw are still considering theirhiring needs, said OPM spokesman Michaeo Orenstein. “They’re working overtime looking at what theitr staffing needs are going to be downthe road,” he said.
Only a few dozemn jobs are being created by the agencuy that the president and Congress set up to oversesestimulus spending, the Recoveryh Accountability and Transparency Board, chaired by Inspectot General Earl E. Devaney. The which is finalizing an officelease downtown, has about 20 employees and won’ expand beyond 40, said spokeswoman Nancyh DiPaolo. Most oversight work will be done by the state andlocal agencies, she said. “The plan is for audits and investigations to be done bythosed groups, not by the board,” DiPaolk said. But even the boards is looking for mainly to help improve andexpand recovery.gov, the Web site wher e stimulus-related news is posted.
The board plans to hold an onlinwe meeting for interested companies at the endof April, and no applicanf is too small. “If there’x a university or small companhy that’s done something great, this will be their chance,” DiPaoloi said. “They’re not going to be run off by ahuge