Online Event Held as Part of African American History Month Celebration
Los Angeles, CA (February 25, 2021) – As part of the African American History Month celebration, the Board of Public Works and Bureau of Contract Administration in collaboration with Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Budget and Innovation and Office of Economic Development hosted the 5th Annual Accessing L.A. BuildWith Virtual Event today. Mayor Eric Garcetti, Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson (CD8) and Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas (CD10) provided recorded welcome remarks for the online event. Participants from small and diverse construction-related businesses had the opportunity to learn about City of Los Angeles and greater Los Angeles metropolitan area projects and get valuable perspectives from experienced small businesses. The online event was held in lieu of the annual in-person BuildWith event that is part of the Accessing L.A. Expo – the City’s premier flagship networking program.
“During Black History Month, we place a special focus on our diverse small business community who have historically suffered from a lack of access to resources and opportunities,” said Dr. Mike Davis, President Pro Tempore, Board of Public Works Commission. “Accessing L.A. is a shining example of the City of Los Angeles’ commitment to providing the support and guidance that all local businesses need especially during this challenging time.”
The two-part virtual event featured an informational webinar and limited, pre-assigned matchmaking opportunities for prime contractors and subcontractors. During the informational webinar, the Mayor’s Office of Budget and Innovation’s Procurement Team gave an update on the replatforming of the Los Angeles Business Assistance Virtual Network (LABAVN) online tool. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles World Airports, Port of Los Angeles and the Department of Public Works’ Bureau of Engineering presented on capital improvement projects, upcoming bid opportunities and the subcontracting support that will be needed on these projects. The Los Angeles Unified School District joined the webinar to discuss contracting opportunities such as classroom replacements and their Small Business Boot Camp program. Additionally, Kevin Ramsey from Alameda Construction Services, Inc. and Val Mataele from Falkon Construction, Inc. participated as small business panelists to give their perspectives on best practices and doing business with the City.
“As these uncertain times continue, we remain dedicated to local businesses, especially our small and diverse business community, who have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said John L. Reamer, Jr., Inspector of Public Works and Director of the Bureau of Contract Administration. “I’m proud of my staff and all of our partner agencies who continue working tirelessly to help these small businesses learn how to find resources and assistance to help them grow and be prepared for contracting opportunities with the City of Los Angeles.”
Today’s event included a modified version of the popular business-to-business matchmaking sessions between prime contractors and subcontractors that is a highlighted feature of the in-person event. Participants were invited to apply for consideration in advance of the matchmaking sessions in which a limited number of subcontractors were able to join a virtual roundtable meeting with a prime contractor via Zoom. This important matchmaking opportunity further supports prime contractors in their efforts to reach racial equity in City contracts. As always, businesses were identified by area of expertise or specialty utilizing the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and matched with prime contractors looking for their expertise.
The successful and growing Accessing L.A. program was designed to promote the City’s vision of fostering the inclusion and economic development of all Los Angeles residents and businesses.
For more information, visit https://bca.lacity.org/accessingla/.
A recording of the webinar is available on the Department of Public Works Facebook page here: http://bit.ly/FB-BuildWith2021video.
View the presentation slides here: http://bit.ly/BuildWith2021Slides.