LOS ANGELES (August 25, 2017) – Yesterday at its Downtown Headquarters at 111 N. Hope Street, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) hosted the 2017 Vendor Fair themed, “Transforming Connectivity.” The event was organized by LADWP to help promote economic development, diversity in contracting, and excellence in water and power service to the residents of Los Angeles. The Vendor Fair provided a forum for entrepreneurs and businesses to network with LADWP staff and large prime contractors to develop new alliances and build business relationships for future contracting opportunities with LADWP. More than 500 attendees were present.
Poised to award more than $3 billion dollars in contracts over the next five to 10 years, LADWP is encouraging the participation of more suppliers, contractors, and subcontractors, especially Small, Minority, Women, and Disabled Veteran Owned Business enterprises. Upcoming LADWP contracts include provision of equipment, materials and construction management services to upgrade infrastructure and support major capital programs necessary for building reliable and sustainable water and power infrastructure and meeting regulatory mandates.
“Fostering business connections not only help LADWP find the best options to complement our business operations. It also allows us to promote opportunities for all business enterprises and ultimately economic development in our city,” said LADWP General Manager David H. Wright “We are pleased with the participation of many companies at this networking event, and I hope this leads to valuable business opportunities for all.”
Gwendolyn Williams, LADWP’s Director of Supply Chain Services said, “Part of LADWP’s vision of success is commitment to be a utility that is ‘Transforming Connectivity’ through the efficient procurement of sustainable goods and services through a continually expanding and diverse pool of vendors. This year’s Vendor Connection Event is a crucial component in the development of that identity.”
The event also marked the first ever presentation of LADWP’s Contractor of the Year Awards to recognize prime contractors and subcontractors who have made significant contributions to the success of LADWP’s projects. Board of Water and Power Commission Vice President William W. Funderburk, Jr. and Commissioner Christina Noonan presented the following honors:
- Parkia Inc., Construction Contractor of the Year
- Air Sciences Inc., Professional Services Contractor of the Year
- B&D Construction, Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Contractor of the Year
- Triomph Inc., Small Business Enterprise/Minority-Owned Business Enterprise Contractor of the Year
- Pangea Biological, Small Business Enterprise/Women-Owned Business Enterprise
Awardees were selected from a pool of 31 nominees submitted to LADWP Supply Chain Services by contract administrators and major prime contractors. A selection committee comprised of managers from the LADWP Water and Power systems, and Supply Chain Services. Evaluation criteria considered included contract size, contract performance, nomination write-up, overall actual subcontractor participation (for prime contractors) and certification status for SBE and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises. This is the first year that LADWP granted these awards, and will do so every two years.
LADWP procures, administers and manages equipment, materials and services contracts to help provide clean and reliable water and power to our customers. LADWP’s vendor pool consists of 14,000 registered vendors ranging from small, women-owned, minority and disabled veteran businesses to large corporations. To learn more about business opportunities with LADWP, visit www.ersp.ladwp.com.
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