The Power of Procurement

by Maria S. Salinas

Mayor Eric Garcetti celebrated Women’s Equality Day with an executive order to increase access to procurement opportunities with the City of Los Angeles for women owned businesses. In the City of Los Angeles only 21% percent of firms with employees are women-owned, and only 6% generate revenues greater than $250,000. Senior Advisor with the Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti, Ana Guerrero, shared the mayor’s vision to help women owned businesses benefit from government contracting.

The Chamber has long shared the believe that contracting can have a positive impact on the economic model of a small business. We were fortunate to join the Mayor’s Power of Procurement panel during the event to discuss the challenges women face in the procurement process. From the lack of access to capital, resources and information to navigate the complete systems and processes of government contracting, these challenges are not new, but with the Mayor’s executive order, greater equity and opportunity for women-owned businesses are possible.

Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, released the report, The Power of Procurement: Advancing Equity and Opportunity in Contracting for Women in Los Angeles. The report highlighted the low participation of women in contracting in the City of Los Angeles and identified recommendations.

The report noted, contracting as a powerful tool for new business development opportunities for any organization and that it can be a source of economic growth for small business, especially women-owned small businesses. Not surprising, technical assistance and communication of processes were identified as essentials to ensuring women have greater access to government contracting.

The panel discussion allowed the Chamber to highlight our OneLA Inclusive Procurement program. With technical assistance programs like OneLA, the Chamber has been able to reach small businesses and train them on the requirements needed to participate in the procurement process. Since the program’s inception, OneLA has successfully helped small, diverse, minority and women owned businesses with over $27 million in contract wins.

We thank Mayor Garcetti for always championing women, whether in his administration or in striving for greater equity in procurement. The Chamber is committed to ensuring we bridge the gaps. For more information about OneLA visit our website here.