The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation. It consists of 11 universities and seven state agencies, each with its own mission, history and goals. Each entity of the System abides by policies and regulations established by The A&M System Board of Regents, and although they all follow the same policies and regulations, each entity operates independently of one another.
At the A&M System office, responsibilities include system-wide planning, coordination and execution of the policies. The A&M System has deliberately consolidated certain essential services and functions at the System Offices to take advantage of economies of scale and to provide value-added expertise that would otherwise be too expensive to acquire and maintain by the members independently, including cash, debt and investment management; health, risk and property insurance programs; facilities planning and construction; communications; audit and legal services. To expand on the role of The A&M System with construction, all construction projects over $10 million are handled by the office of Facilities, Planning and Construction for the universities and agencies.
Procurement and HUB Program efforts for The Texas A&M University System are led by Jeff Zimmermann, Director of Procurement & Business Services, and Keith Williams, HUB Coordinator. Regarding construction, their work includes coordinating A&M System-led HUB outreach and networking efforts with general contractors and subcontractors, as well as assisting the general contractors in their HUB outreach efforts.
The System office has recently made efforts to expand the reach and impact of its HUB program. They have dedicated more office space for HUB vendor networking meetings, planned more HUB outreach events and added Williams’ position, which is dedicated solely to improving and growing the HUB program.
“[Williams’] position was added last year,” Zimmermann said. “He came on board, and he has dedicated 100 percent of his time to the HUB program. Before, it was just one other staff member and me sharing the responsibility.”
Since joining the System, Williams has been reaching out to the community more than ever. He attends the monthly Greater Houston Business Procurement Forum, and the System has expanded its involvement in important organizations such as the Texas Association of African American Chamber of Commerce and Texas Mexican American Chambers of Commerce and are soon-to-be members of the Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce as well as the National Association of Minority Contractors – Houston chapter.
Williams and Zimmermann are also focused on reaching other cities in Texas, such as Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio, all cities where the Texas A&M University System has other campuses and/or facilities.
“Our focus is on the great State of Texas and letting the subcontractors and general contractors know that the A&M System does have this program,” Williams said. “We are looking to grow our footprint in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio, cities that we have a big presence in.”
Another major outreach effort of the A&M System office is planning the Construction Vendor Expo happening in April in Houston. This expo is a collaborative effort with the Office of HUB and Procurement Programs and Office of Facilities, Planning and Construction, SSC and general contractors to ensure that HUB subcontractors are aware of upcoming opportunities and how to do business with the A&M System.
“We plan to kick off the event with a meeting to discuss the A&M System and how we procure our construction projects,” Zimmermann said. “We will have representatives from our Facilities Planning and Construction department to talk about the entire construction and procurement process.”
SSC, who handles construction projects less than $10 million at many of the campuses, will also present at the event to make potential subcontractors aware of how they procure their projects.
The System chose to host this event in Houston because it is the biggest market closest to College Station, as well as the nearby Prairie View A&M University and Texas A&M at Galveston campuses. Many of the general contractors who have been invited to the event already have existing relationships and projects going on with The Texas A&M University System and will have real job opportunities to discuss with the subcontractors in attendance.
This Construction Vendor Expo is a significant opportunity for many HUB subcontractors to get their foot in the door with a major university system, and this is a key chance for the System to connect with the community and show that they care about doing business with vendors in the community.
Zimmermann says this is just the start of The Texas A&M University System hosting events for HUB opportunities in construction. The A&M System HUB Program plans to have similar events which not only include the general contractors, but the design teams and engineers as well.
“All of these efforts are aimed at increasing awareness,” Zimmermann said. “Working with more HUBs and reaching more subcontractors through hosting events and working with SubContractors USA are all part of our emphasis on pushing this program and getting more involved with the community.”
When asked why it is important to The Texas A&M University System to be involved with HUB vendors and connect subcontractors to big opportunities, Zimmermann and Williams both emphasized the importance of being present in the community.
“I would say the emphasis is that we are in the community,” Williams said. “We want to let subcontractors know that we really care, and we want to be a bigger part of their community. We want to leave a bigger footprint and understand more of the community.”
“I think it can be said with the simple statement of ‘make a difference’,” Zimmermann said. “I would apply that to not only us and our HUB program but to the subcontractor and general contractor community as well. Make a difference. In whatever you do, make a difference.”
