We Make Life Better Through Work

Goodwill Industries of El Paso, Inc.
Contracts Department

Goodwill Industries of El Paso, Inc. continually strives to serve those individuals with workplace disadvantages and disabilities by providing job training, employment services, and job placement, as well as post-employment support.

One approach used by Goodwill to achieve this goal was through the implementation of the Goodwill Contracts Department. The Contracts Department is one of the agency's stepping stones used to assist individuals towards independence and self-sufficiency. The Contracts Department serves as a place where individuals are placed temporarily, or through the duration of a contract, to obtain employment and job skills.

The Contracts Department works in partnership with National Industries for the Severely Handicapped (NISH) and Texas Industries for the Blind and Handicapped (TIBH). Both agencies were created to increase efforts to create personally-satisfying jobs and expand employment choices in the state and federal marketplace for individuals with disabilities. While maximizing employment opportunities for people with disabilities, the focus is also to provide good wages and benefits.

The Contracts Department is also a participant in the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) program. Originally enacted in 1938 and later amended, JWOD is a mandatory program designed to allow nonprofit organizations who serve people who are blind or disabled the ability to furnish products and purchased services from the federal government. Working through NISH, the Contracts Department obtains federal contracts that may require techniques be developed to accommodate individuals, but meet the Federal customer's specifications and are in compliance with the federal government procurement standards.

The Contracts Department is included in the South Central Region of NISH. Our service area encompasses Southwest New Mexico and all of west Texas. State and federal contracts awarded to Goodwill are currently located in Presidio, Fort Hancock, Anthony and throughout various sections of El Paso County. Contract partners include the Texas Department of Human Services, Texas Department of Health, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Department of Public Safety, U.S. Army Reserves, Texas Department of Family Protective Services, City of El Paso, Texas (Sun Metro Buses) and the Texas Travel Information Center.

The contract department currently consists of thirty-two (32) employees that include the Vice President of Contracts & Workforce Development Services, the Contracts Manager and thirty (30) employees placed in thirteen (13) contract locations. The annual budget for 2005 is estimated at over $730,500, an increase from 2004.

The goals and objectives of the Goodwill Contracts Department for 2005 are to steadily increase the number of employed disabled and disadvantaged individuals by obtaining additional state and federal contracts in our region. In addition, the Contracts Department will strive to provide the utmost customer satisfaction.