Vendor Fair Set for California Health Care Facility in Stockton

STOCKTON – Businesses who wish to sell their products or services to the new California Health Care Facility (CHCF) now under construction in Stockton are invited to attend a vendor fair in that city to learn how to become certified to do business with the State of California.

The event will be held March 18 at the Stockton Hilton, 2323 Grand Canal Boulevard, in downtown Stockton, from 1-3 pm.  The fair is co-sponsored by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), California Correctional Health Care Services, Department of General Services (DGS), the Department of State Hospitals and the Stockton Hilton.  Advance registration information is available at Kim.Petersen@CDCR.ca.gov. 

“With more than 2,000 staff and 1,700 inmate-patients on the site every day, we will have many of the same needs as a small city as well as some specialized needs related to health care,” said Warden Ron Rackley.  “We expect to spend several millions of dollars a year to operate the California Health Care Facility and would like every local business that wants to do business with us to be prepared by attending our workshop in Stockton,” said Rackley.

Representatives from the sponsoring state agencies will be on hand to explain general contracting procedures and the process for being certified as a Small Business or Veteran-owned and the types of products and services that the 1.2 million square foot medical facility will need.

The first of 1,722 inmate-patients are expected in July 2013 in a facility that will employ approximately 2,400 people in up to 160 professional classifications, creating a $220 million payroll that will add an estimated $1 billion a year to the local economy.  More than half of the $1 billion in construction costs for the new facility has been awarded to businesses and contractors in Stockton and the surrounding area and more than half of the 5,500 construction jobs have been filled with local craftsmen.

More information about the California Health Care Facility is available at http://www.chcfstockton.com/ Information about CDCR is available at www.cdcr.ca.gov