Laboratory hosts meeting Thursday for local businesses to learn about subcontracting opportunities

Contact: Steve Sandoval, steves@lanl.gov, (505) 665-9206 (02-068)

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., June 11, 2002 -- Small businesses in Northern New Mexico that want to do business with the National Nuclear Security Administration's Los Alamos National Laboratory can learn about subcontracting opportunities at a workshop Thursday in Española.

The Laboratory's Small Business Office and the New Mexico 8(a) and Minority Business Association are hosting the meeting at 9 a.m. in the Convento on the Española Plaza.

Los Alamos' Procurement Group, the Northern New Mexico Supplier Alliance, city of Española and NEDA Business Consultants Inc. also are sponsoring the meeting.

The meeting is an opportunity for small-business owners to meet with the Laboratory and representatives from large general contract companies who currently have construction contracts with the Laboratory, explained Janelle Vigil-Maestas of Los Alamos' Small Business Program Office. She noted that large companies, such as Hensel Phelps Construction, which built the Strategic Computing Complex and the Nonproliferation and International Security Center at Technical Area 3, subcontracts various aspects of construction work to smaller companies. Such work includes pouring concrete and building roads, mechanical, roofing, electrical, telecommunications, security, fire protection and other types of construction activities.

At Thursday's meeting, small-business owners also can be considered for "mentor-protégé" relationships with representatives from the large contract companies, said Vigil-Maestas.

"The mentor-protégé process is designed to promote best practices among constructions firms and to prepare and train small and minority businesses to perform successfully at [Los Alamos]," said Anna Mueller, president of NEDA Business Consultants Inc.

For more information, contact Janelle Vigil-Maestas at 665-4329 or Carla Lujan at 667-8636. Or write to sbo@lanl.gov by electronic mail.

Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy and works in partnership with NNSA's Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories to support NNSA in its mission.

Los Alamos enhances global security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, developing technical solutions to reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health and national security concerns.