Los Angeles port adopts new small business program

Los Angeles port adopts new small business program Small businesses hoping to do construction, personal services and procurement work with the Port of Los Angeles now have a greater opportunity, thanks to a revamp of the port's small business program.
   Port officials signed off on a revision of the program last week, renaming it the Small Business Development Program. The port hopes the program, charged with providing education, outreach and resources to the small business community, will provide access to a larger number of port contracts by a wider cross section of small businesses.
   The port did not disclose the annual value of contracts that will be covered under the new program. And while the actual amount of small business participation for each port contract may vary, the port has set an overall annual goal of 25 percent small business participation for the program.
   The neighboring Port of Long Beach, very similar in size and development scope to Los Angeles, has had a similar program for several years. Long Beach claims that their programs awarded $17 million in construction and planning jobs to qualifying small businesses during the 2005 fiscal year, the last year for which numbers are available.
   The Los Angeles program, like Long Beach, will use criteria set up by the U.S. Small Business Administration for definitions of what is a small business. These criteria differ based on the type of work being done, and typically look at the annual gross revenues of the company.
   Federal SBA examples of small business eligibility based on annual gross revenue averaged over the past three years:
   * general contractors, less than $31 million.
   * Specialty trade contractors, less than $13 million.
   * Environmental consultants, less than $6.5 million.
   * Engineering/architectural services, less than $4.5 million.
   In a release announcing the revised program, the Port of Los Angeles said that a renewed emphasis would be placed on educating small businesses on the city selection process, and identifying resources to enhance the success and development of small business owners.
   The new SBDP will be led by Margaret Hernandez, the port's director of contracts and purchasing. Hernandez will oversee the program at the port and will act as the Small Business Development Program administrator. Additionally, an advisory committee comprising 10 to 15 members will be created to review the activities of the program, as well as provide feedback from their constituents on the success of the program and its outreach efforts. Members of local chambers of commerce, small business development centers, city officials, and small business owners are all eligible to sit on the committee.