CatalyzeLA – Reimagine how the City of Los Angeles and the Startup Community do Business Together

Government procurement in the United States is not responsive to the needs of today’s citizens, and Los Angeles is no exception. Rooted in laws that were instituted in the 19th century, current procurement practices are outdated and do not reflect government’s current needs to procure technological solutions to improve the delivery of city services. Despite these arcane practices, there is great momentum and excitement from cities across the country around leveraging entrepreneurial energy as an opportunity for government to introduce new ideas, startups, and atypical vendors into city procurement.

In the final report, the Capstone team made recommendations on how to make procuring with the City of Los Angeles more accessible and desirable for atypical vendors, such as startups and small businesses. The team highlighted the following best practices for Los Angeles’ consideration:

• Establish a Chief Procurement Officer
• Develop a web platform that helps increase participation and improves the overall transparency of the procurement process
• Increase training opportunities to help vendors better respond to RFPs.

As Los Angeles looks to reform its procurement process, an understanding of these best practices will allow the City to be in a better position to direct their reform efforts and will also enhance the City’s ability to attract atypical vendors to apply for government contracts.