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Long Beach honors procurement team’s awards, highlights local outreach and new inclusive‑procurement coordinator
Summary
City staff marked National Procurement Month by presenting results from the department’s ‘Extreme Procurement Makeover,’ national awards and a new local‑preference registration effort that registered 38 Long Beach businesses in the city procurement platform.
The Long Beach City Council received a presentation Tuesday recognizing the city’s procurement team for national awards and for steps to increase local and equitable access to city contracts. The presentation coincided with National Procurement Month.
Why it matters: City staff said improvements to procurement processes aim to make it faster and easier for local and small businesses to compete for city contracts, and that these changes help the city spend local tax dollars in the community.
What presenters said: Michelle Wilson, the city’s purchasing agent, described an “extreme procurement makeover” implemented over the past four years to streamline procurement, remove barriers for small and local firms and roll out a local‑preference program. Wilson said the procurement division conducted 115 formal solicitations this past year that supported roughly $880 million in goods and services to Long Beach residents over the period she described.
Wilson and Tara Mortensen, business services bureau manager, noted the addition of a full‑time Inclusive Procurement Outreach Coordinator in the FY24 adopted budget. According to staff, the coordinator’s outreach resulted in 38 Long Beach businesses registering in the city’s procurement platform, a necessary first step for many vendors to pursue contracts.
National recognition: The procurement team highlighted three recent awards: the Achievement in Excellence in Procurement (National Procurement Institute), recognition from the Government Finance Officers Association for program innovation and an ‘Above and Beyond’ national award received by procurement professional Alisa Landeros.
Council response: Mayor Rex Richardson and other council members praised the procurement team’s national recognition and urged continued outreach to make city procurement more accessible for local businesses. The mayor said the council supports procurement reforms that improve “ease, speed, and predictability when doing business with the city.”
Ending: Mayor Richardson invited staff to return to the dais for a photo; procurement staff and the procurement team’s awards will appear in future city outreach and vendor engagement efforts.
