Haiti earthquake clean-up contract goes to Haitian-American company

More on this Story

Story | Haiti earthquake death toll remains a mystery
Story | Commentary: Haiti reconfigured
Story | Haiti struggling to keep up with newborns
Story | Mexico's recovery from 1985 quake could be model for rebuilding Haiti
Story | Haiti's earthquake was more damaging than Southeast Asia tsunami, study finds
Story | Haitian government worries temporary housing may become permanent slums
Story | Post-Katrina New Orleans offers recovery lessons for Haiti
Photos | Photos of devastation in Haiti from The Miami Herald
On the Web | Read the Miami Herald's Haiti coverage here
On the Web | How to help Haiti
On the Web | More world coverage from McClatchy

Martha Brannigan and Jacqueline Charles | The Miami Herald

The U.S. Agency for International Development awarded a $3.5 million contract to PHS Group, a Silver Spring, Md., engineering firm, for cleanup work in Haiti, the first earthquake-related contract to go to a Haitian American.

Jean-Robert Siclait, who runs PHS Group, declined to comment.

A spokeswoman for USAID said the contract to manage a debris site near the port in Port-au-Prince "was offered as a set-aside for a small business."

USAID made the contract under the Small Business Administration's 8(a) Business Development Program, which allows USAID to expand partnerships to small businesses through federal authorities.

"It also allows us to work toward federal-wide goals to raise the percentage of U.S. small businesses that have an opportunity to work with the federal government," a USAID spokeswoman said in a statement. This type of award allows USAID "to move quickly in Haiti relief efforts while ensuring that we are partnering with smaller organizations."

To read the complete article, visit www.miamiherald.com.

Stay Connected