Small Business Enterprise

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) embarked on an aggressive, multi-billion-dollar school construction and renovation program, delivering new and modernized school facilities and adding more than 170,000 new classroom seats by the end of 2013. In continuation of its mission to provide state-of-the-art school facilities, the LAUSD is investing $700 million annually over the next 10 years, totaling $7 billion, in its unprecedented school renovation program. LAUSD's investment in new and existing school facilities represents the largest school construction and renovation program in the western United States.

Recognizing that the school construction and renovation program will require a large pool of qualified contractors and that construction activity will take place in diverse neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles and neighboring cities, the Board of Education deems it imperative that small businesses compete for these economic opportunities.

In February 2003, the Board of Education established a 25% Small Business Enterprise (SBE) participation goal on all District contracts. In October 2013, the Board reaffirmed its commitment to the District-wide small business participation goal of twenty-five percent (25%), increased the Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) participation goal to five percent (5%), and established a (10%) bid preference for bids only on contracts pursuant to Public Contract Code section 20111. These far-reaching SBE/VBE participation goals are the guiding principles for the Small Business Program.

The mission of the Small Business Program is to increase the pool of qualified vendors competing for LAUSD procurement opportunities. The Small Business Program provides SBE firms with information and access to compete for goods, architecture, engineering, and professional services contracts, as well as referral services for technical assistance, financial, bonding, and insurance, and certification services that promote the long-term competitive capacity of SBE firms.