City of Los Angeles Now Accepts WBENC Certification

WBENC-West partners with Mayor's Office of Contractor Relations.

Women's Business Enterprise Council - West has been approved as the WBE certification solution for the City of Los Angeles for WBE contracting. With City budget cuts, the Bureau of Contract Administration (BCA) has had to limit the businesses it certify to those in Los Angeles and still has a back log for WBE certification. With this new agreement, BCA will now accept the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) certification as of March, 2013. WBEC-West, in partnership with Mayor's Office of Contractor Relations, has been working with the City of Los Angeles to ensure that women-owned firms have an equal opportunity to participate in City contracts. WBEs receiving WBENC certification will increase their opportunities of participating in contracting opportunities that are subject to the City's Business Inclusion Program where outreach is required. Additionally WBENC certification allows the City to accurately track and report on the number of women doing business with the City. The City of Los Angeles strongly encourages city agencies and prime contractors to contract with women-owned, minority-owned, and service-disabled veterans as well as with small and local businesses. According to Kecia M. Washington, the Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Contractor Relations, "Inclusion is an economic imperative and we know that women owned businesses are part of the solution to our economic woes. Women owned businesses are talented, resourceful, and more than capable - we look forward to doing business with them." The BCA now accepts WBENC certified firms that are registered in the City of Los Angeles' Business Assistance Virtual Network (BAVN). Registration is done online through http://www.labavn.org/.