Los Angeles city public works commissioners formed a committee Friday that will generate ideas for increasing the number of small, local, minority- and women-owned businesses that are awarded city contracts.
The board awarded 800 contracts for construction and other services over the past two years, amounting to about $600 million, according to Commissioners Heather Repenning.
“While this represents a significant investment in the regional economy, it is imperative that we identify ways to further strengthen the impact of these dollars on the small, women-owned and minority-owned businesses that are the heart of our local economy,” Repenning said.
The Ad Hoc Business Advisory Committee will be chaired by Repenning and the board’s president pro tem, Mike Davis. Other members will include former and current city contractors and sub-contracters.
The committee will host four public hearings to solicit feedback, and look at ways to rework the department’s contracting practices.
—City News Service