LOS ANGELES BOARD OF AIRPORT COMMISSIONERS APPROVES EXPANSION OF CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES TO DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESSES
(Los Angeles, California – April 6, 2017) The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) today voted unanimously to amend the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Local Business and Local Small Business Enterprise Program Ordinance to create a new category for businesses owned by disabled veterans.
The amendment would encourage Disabled Veterans-Owned Business Enterprises (DVBEs) to compete for LAWA contracting opportunities at Los Angeles International (LAX) and Van Nuys (VNY) airports. LAWA contracts valued over $150,000 would be reviewed and evaluated for business inclusion and setting of mandatory levels of participation and subcontracting.
“LAWA is currently spending an average of nearly $3 million per day as part of a $14 billion Capital Improvement Program at LAX, and we want veterans to know that they have a role to play in modernizing the airport,” said Board of Airport Commissioners President Sean Burton. “Expanding our program to include disabled veteran-owned businesses is a win-win for LAWA. We get dependable partners who can get the job done and these businesses participate in the transformation of LAX.”
The amendments recommended today were written not only to encourage DVBEs to compete for LAWA contracting opportunities, but also to ease the process for disabled veterans seeking to establish and maintain a local business in Los Angeles and throughout California. One of the expanded program’s goals will be to ensure that a greater proportion of LAWA contracts are awarded locally, which contributes to the region’s economic growth by increasing incomes, spending, and tax generation.
In September 2016, five small, local businesses were among 11 primary contractors that were approved by the BOAC to receive seven-year contracts to provide support services for LAWA’s Capital Improvement Program, with other local and small businesses included as subcontractors. LAWA also hosted a several Business Enterprise Forums in 2016 to further educate small and local businesses on how they could participate in LAX’s $5.5-billion Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP) and will continue the outreach in 2017 with a focus on DVBEs.
About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
LAX is the fourth busiest airport in the world, second in the United States, and was named Skytrax’ 2017 Top 10 Most Improved Airports. LAX served more than 80.9 million passengers in 2016. LAX offers 742 daily nonstop flights to 101 cities in the U.S. and 1,280 weekly nonstop flights to 77 cities in 42 countries on 64 commercial air carriers. LAX ranks 14th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.2 million tons of air cargo valued at over $101.4 billion. LAX handled 697,138 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2016.
An economic study based on 2014 operations reported LAX generated 620,610 jobs in Southern California with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital-improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion, $966 million in state and local taxes, and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.
LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.
For more information about LAX, please visit www.lawa.aero/lax or follow on Twitter @flyLAXAirport , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport , and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/laxairport1 . Information about LAX’s ongoing multi-billion-dollar LAX Modernization Program, as well as tips and shortcuts to help navigate LAX during construction, are available at www.LAXisHappening.com .
As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.
