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LADWP and L.A. Public Works Launch Small Business Training Academy

LADWP and L.A. Public Works Launch Small Business Training Academy 
LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works recently launched a small business-training academy at the University of Southern California (USC) with the goal of enabling small businesses to successfully participate in contracting opportunities in the greater Los Angeles area. Focusing on women, minority and military veteran-owned businesses, the academy’s first session is now under way. Training provides information and insight about bidding and working on construction projects, including design-build and other project delivery methods for LADWP, Public Works and USC.

“The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is proud to partner with the Department of Public Works on this important venture in nurturing and preparing our small businesses for today’s competitive marketplace,” said Bill Funderburk, Vice-President, LADWP Board of Commissioners. He added, “Small businesses are critical to our dynamic economy and we need to ensure their success.”

The training academy also provides strategies on how to grow a sustainable and competitive business able to meet essential requirements, secure the necessary resources and submit successful bid/proposals.

“This academy is an effort to demystify the contracting process and provide increased opportunities for small businesses to compete for contracts which have been historically most challenging,” said Monica Rodriguez, Vice President, Board of Public Works. “Helping these businesses successfully navigate our process can provide infinite benefits which include boosting our local economy and creating jobs.”

Some of the opportunities available to these small firms include LADWP’s Solar Incentive, Solar Feed-in-Tariff programs and other street improvement and wastewater treatment plant initiatives.

“This training academy, along with improvements to our procurement process and our own in-house programs reaffirm LADWP’s commitment to the inclusion of diverse, small businesses into the fabric of our supplier network,” said Gwendolyn W. Williams, Director of Supply Chain Services for LADWP.

Some of the small businesses represented included small firms in the science & engineering, security, painting, architecture, construction and testing & inspection fields. The inaugural academy includes ten sessions, each covering a different aspect of business and project management. Topics include procurement, business and marketing essentials, bonding and risk management, bid proposals, safety and environmental issues.  These sessions will culminate with a commencement luncheon on December 5, 2014.

LADWP and the Department of Public Works, along with additional sponsors USC, and the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency Business Center, are proud of the commitment made by the representatives from the 30 firms in the current class and look forward to working with them in growing their respective businesses.

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