Learn about stimulus funding for construction projects

A training program designed to help government and private enterprises secure and implement federal stimulus funding for construction and building projects is available through Arizona State University’s Alliance for Construction Excellence (ACE). 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) passed by Congress in early 2009 is intended to provide a solution to the economic downturn and stimulate the economy through job creation.Among the many provisions of the ARRA is a designation of $150 billion to be invested in new infrastructure and improvements of existing roads, bridges and transportation-related structures. Funding has been made available to states for a limited time to distribute at their discretion, but new projects have been slowed by the Act’s stringent reporting, financial tracking and oversight requirements.  

"While the ARRA provides a massive amount of funding to boost our nation’s economy and has created unprecedented opportunities for public and private organizations in the construction industry, the federally-mandated reporting and financial requirements have fostered an atmosphere of hesitation and slowed the progress of getting the funds to work,” ACE director Gary Aller says. 

“Our goal in creating the online ARRA Training Series is to empower contractors, sub-contractors, and government agencies, as well as the legal and community groups, to understand – and comply with – the ARRA’s specific requirements, so that they can successfully secure and implement the stimulus funding before the window of opportunity closes.”  

All courses in the training series correlate to the financial, reporting and legal requirements specified by the ARRA, and are taught by experts in the legal and public works fields. Participants can enroll for one or more of the following sessions: Reporting, Accountability & Transparency Buy American Civil Rights Compliance Davis Bacon Act & Related Acts ACE will also maintain records on all who complete the training sessions, allowing for easy notification of updates and providing information regarding audits.  

 “By making it easy for relevant parties in the design and construction industry to verify they have completed this training, ACE hopes to help facilitate the disbursement and implementation of the stimulus funding, thereby playing a direct role in rebuilding our nation’s economy,” Aller says. 

The ARRA Training Series consists of a set of low-cost, on-demand web-based courses powered by iLinc Communications, a leading web conferencing company. Because the courses are delivered via a state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly virtual training platform, participants are able to receive this critical information from any Internet-enabled computer at any time of day. The training series is available at the ACE Web site: http://construction.asu.edu/ace.