LOS ANGELES - Mayor Karen Bass, Councilwoman Traci Park and leaders at Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) celebrated the latest round of investments at LAX to prioritize local businesses and jobs, including 13 first-time prime contractors who are local small businesses. This investment, through the $5 billion Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC), ensures that small, local and minority-owned businesses will be contracted to work on projects in LAWA's multi-billion dollar Capital Improvement Program. Mayor Bass highlighted this investment during her State of the City address, pointing to MATOC as an example of making government more efficient and faster, maximizing local benefits. B-roll from the event is available here.
“Today, we are celebrating the latest round of investments that will prioritize LA businesses and LA jobs, including 13 first-time prime contractors.” said Mayor Bass. “This will ensure that small, local and minority-owned businesses like Lucas Builders Inc., a local, veteran and family-owned business, will benefit as we prepare the City to welcome the world in the coming years. Los Angeles continues leading the way and demonstrating how investment in infrastructure means investing in people, too."
“LAX isn’t just modernizing — we’re building smarter and creating real economic opportunities along the way,” said Councilwoman Traci Park. “With $5 billion in new contracting authority, we’re putting local businesses to work and preparing Los Angeles for the world stage.”
The latest five-year MATOC will include 51 contracts with a pre-qualified pool of 31 contractors ensuring a faster award process for contracts, expediting construction projects. Of the 31 contractors, 13 will be first-time prime contractors which will expand opportunity to local small, medium and large firms, investing in talent and job creation in Los Angeles. This contract continues LAX’s preparations to welcome the world in 2026 for the World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Small, local and minority owned firms contracted through MATOC will have the opportunity to demonstrate what LA’s businesses can accomplish by constructing and modernizing the world’s most recognizable airport. The leadership that these new, first-time prime contractors will undertake will allow them to expand their footprint locally, and the potential for international recognition and business opportunities.
“LAX is open for business," said John Ackerman, Chief Executive Officer, LAWA. “Mayor Bass challenged us to not just build great airports, but to help build a great city. This MATOC offers unprecedented access and opportunities to companies of all sizes that have never done business with LAWA, and provides us a team of partners that will help us realize our ambitious goals."
"Innovation isn't just about new technology — it's about reimagining how we operate and how we do business. The MATOC is a prime example of that transformation, marking the beginning of a new paradigm for the City of Los Angeles and LAWA,” said Karim Webb, President, Board of Airport Commissioners. “Just as Mayor Tom Bradley championed investments in LAX decades ago to create generational wealth in Los Angeles, we're doing the same today, ensuring local, small businesses thrive in this evolving ecosystem."