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| “Our
industry is entirely relationship based. Client satisfaction is what
matters most. I think people saw our potential, saw our sincerity
and gave us the opportunity to prove ourselves, which grows with each
day.” RUBINA CHAUDHARY, PRESIDENT OF MARRS SERVICES |
Small businesses can do great
things.That’s the philosophy behind Metropolitan’s Regional/Small
Business Program. The premise is fairly simple: reinvest ratepayer dollars
in local economic development by committing a portion of contracting dollars
to local and small businesses, give business owners the skills and tools
to compete for public agency contracts, and then introduce them to the
people doing the hiring.
One person who has benefited from the program is Rubina Chaudhary, president
of MARRS Services, a small engineering management firm with a big history
at Metropolitan.
About 80 percent of the Santa Fe Springs company’s business is water
or waste-water related. It has, in one capacity or another, been part
of Metropolitan’s largest capital improvement projects, including
the Inland Feeder pipeline project, the 800,000 acre-foot Diamond Valley
Lake, and the recent ozone retrofit for the district’s treatment
plants.
In 2004, MARRS was the prime consultant on the refurbishment of the Colorado
River Aqueduct, the first facelift in the 242-mile aqueduct’s 75-year
history. MARRS oversaw the electrical, welding, concrete work, road improvements
and pump upgrades.
In construction and professional consulting services, Metropolitan requires
that any company not qualifying as small, but designated as the low bidder,
must meet an assigned and verified percentage of subcontracting to small
businesses. It’s a way for small businesses to get their foot in
the door. After that, Rubina said, it’s up to the company to earn
repeat business.
“For small businesses, sub-consulting is a wonderful way to get
into an organization like Metropolitan,” she said. “It overcomes
weaknesses of size and gives you an opportunity to be noticed. Then you
have to stand on your own feet.
“Since the beginning it was very important that we not take on something
we couldn’t handle,” she said.
After several subcontracting contracts, MARRS became prime consultant
for Metropolitan’s Local Resources Program, which seeks to strengthen
the region’s water supply by supporting groundwater recovery and
storage programs.
Not an engineer herself, Rubina manages the marketing and public relations
for her company, while others, including her husband, are in charge of
the engineering know-how.
“Our industry is entirely relationship based,” Rubina said.“Client
satisfaction is what matters most. I think people saw our potential, saw
our sincerity and gave us the opportunity to prove ourselves, which grows
with each day. When called on, and given the opportunity to compete, we
do our best and more.”
Metropolitan’s goal in the beginning was to award 18 percent of
district contracts to small businesses. Participation surpassed all expectations
with about 40 percent of the contracts, and most of the ones under $25,000
going to small businesses.
Depending on small businesses is a smart investment, according to a study
by the Public Administrative Review.
The 1998 study found that small business programs do not increase government
costs and that a lack of competition on contracts can actually increase
public sector costs. Metropolitan officials have identified a little more
than $3 million in savings—because of an increase in competition.
Metropolitan has proven that the size of the business is not what determines
quality.