Follow these steps to determine if your company qualifies for the program.
Step 1
If your company meets all of the following requirements, it is eligible to apply. The company:
- Is a general contractor in the construction industry
- Is certified by the Central (CERT) Certification Program as a small business enterprise (SBE)
- Is certified as a Small Targeted Group Business by the Minnesota Department of Administration, Office of State Procurement
- Has annual gross revenue less than $18.25 million
If you answered "yes" to all four questions, then your company is eligible to apply for the program.
Step 2
- Complete all fields on the application form.
- You will receive an email from Hennepin County acknowledging your application was received.
Step 3
Your application will be evaluated.
A company that has not employed an ex-offender within the last 4 years may apply to be a Provisional Partner in the program. As a Provisional Partner, the company will be given the opportunity to employ county probationers while delivering private or public work. After employing one or more ex-offenders for a construction season (not less than 9 months), the company may apply for Full Partner status in the program.
A company that has employed an ex-offender during the past 4 years may apply to be a Full Partner in the program. The evaluation process includes an application review and a meeting between the company's representative and the Community Productive Day Program Manager in the Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCCR). The purpose of the meeting is to learn about the company's experience employing ex-offenders. The county will verify the employment experience of all ex-offenders listed in the company's application. If necessary, and at the discretion of the county, the applicant may be requested to participate in an interview with an Evaluation Committee. The evaluation process will result in a decision to admit the company as a Full Partner or Provisional Partner in the Program.
As a Full Partner, a company will be directly solicited to compete for county set-aside contracts and other contracts procured through the county's Purchasing Department. The Contractor selected for such contracts will be required to employ county probationers for a specified minimum number of hours while delivering the project.
Applicants that do not meet the program's eligibility requirements (identified in Step 1 above) or that are denied Full Partner status but are admitted to the program as a Provisional Partner, will be offered the opportunity to receive feedback from a representative of the program concerning the strengths and weaknesses of its application.
For more information about the program see Productive Day Program.