| LOS ANGELES, CA (May 20, 2021) – As part of the National Public Works Week and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebration, Public Works Commissioner Jessica Caloza and the Bureau of Contract Administration in collaboration with Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Budget and Innovation concluded the Accessing L.A. TeamWith 2-Part Virtual Event today. Small, diverse, and local business owners gathered online over two days for panel discussions and networking during the annual Professional and Personal Services networking event. This year’s virtual TeamWith event placed a special focus on workforce equity and inclusion through a panel discussion with prime contractors on how they outreach to diverse subcontractors and efforts to provide employment opportunities for transitional workers during the Koi Pond segment.
“Our small businesses are the economic backbone of Los Angeles. Our mission and vision is to uplift our business community and continue opening doors to success, especially during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and National Public Works Week,” said Public Works Commissioner Jessica Caloza. “Our virtual events are focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion and on making it even more accessible for small and diverse businesses to share in all of the contracting opportunities that exist with the City of Los Angeles.”
On day one a panel of prime contractors, including Tetra Tech, HNTB Corporation, MARRS Services and T. Y. Lin International Group, offered invaluable information to an audience of small businesses on how they conduct outreach and select subcontractors, meet their diversity and equity goals, and best practices for subcontractors. Additionally, the Board of Public Works and Bureau of Contract Administration shared more about the recently unveiled Community-Level Contracting initiative aimed at helping smaller firms do business with the City. Through Community-Level Contracting, large contracts will be unbundled into smaller, more manageable work packages of approximately $100,000 or less to provide small businesses an opportunity to do business directly with the City as prime contractors.
“We focused our efforts on the Community-Level Contracting initiative to ensure that opportunities to work with the City are truly equitable for all small and diverse local businesses,” said John L. Reamer, Jr., Inspector of Public Works and Director of the Bureau of Contract Administration. “During our Accessing L.A. events, we shine a spotlight on these efforts to give our business community the information and resources they need to learn, participate, and benefit from the City’s programs and services.”
Koi Pond, an exclusive feature of TeamWith, made a comeback this year in virtual form during day two of the event. Five finalists were selected from an application process held before the event to showcase their services and receive instant feedback from an executive panel including the City’s Chief Procurement Officer Shannon Hoppes, PACE Vice President and COO Rachelle Arizmendi, and Libby Williams of Williams Consulting. Finalists gave a 2-minute business pitch on how they would promote workforce equity and/or provide employment opportunities to transitional workers.
Day two of the event also featured five interactive breakout rooms for networking facilitated by industry executives in information technology, architecture, engineering, marketing, and women-owned businesses. Attendees were provided a unique opportunity to virtually ask questions and connect with key decision makers in each industry and network with other small businesses at the same time. Participants selected which breakout room to join and were also able to switch to different rooms to maximize their networking efforts.
The successful and growing Accessing L.A. Expo – the City’s premier flagship networking 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 www.accessingla.com. |
