Small Business Opportunities Often Untapped

LOS ANGELES, CA

Small businesses, particularly those belonging to landscape and irrigation contractors, often are unaware of the $4 billion in contracting and service opportunities offered by the County of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County covers an area of approximately 4,000 square miles, with 37 departments and 80,000 employees involved in its management, contract administration, and day-to-day business affairs.

To help cut through the bureaucratic red tape in getting a county contract, an Office of Small Business (OSB) was recently created on the internet to help small businesses become aware of contracts being put out to bid by the county.

All 37 county departments have a mandate from the Board of Supervisors to get all their contracts over $25,000 on line. During the first six months of the system, some 525 contracts were posted on the database.

Additionally, OSB acts as a resource where companies can learn where technical assistance can be obtained from other public agencies in the country, such as the State Employment Development Department, Small Business Development Centers, etc. To access, OSB, log onto www.laosb.org.