CREATING PRIME OPPORTUNITIES
municipalities in Southern California and beyond, these benefits could be far-reaching and transformative.
Preparing the Way
The process for creating the CLC’ s prime contracting opportunities actually started in 2023, when the City’ s DPW issued a request for qualifications( RFQ). That November, Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services( MWIS), a Hub International Company, hosted an in-person workshop to assist small, local, and diverse contractors in preparing and submitting statement of qualifications( SOQ) packages in response to the RFQ.
Offered as part of Metro’ s Contractor Development and Bonding Program( CDBP), administered by MWIS, the workshop provided technical assistance, explained the submission timeline and answered participants’ questions. The RFQ requirements included a bond of at least $ 150,000, insurance, an applicable contractor’ s license, registration with the Regional Alliance Marketplace for Procurement( RAMP) and the California Department of Industrial Relations( DIR), and a statement describing relevant contractor qualifications( SOQ).
The Door to Opportunity
After reviewing the SOQs submitted, the City developed a pre-qualified on-call( PQOC) list of approved construction firms. Of the 34 contractors who made the PQOC list, 29 were enrolled in the CDABP. Contractors who made the PQOC list were then eligible to receive work packages of up to $ 150,000 each for vital sidewalk construction and repair services. Initial construction and repair work began in April 2025.
Small Contractors Get to Work
One CDBP enrollee and participating CLC program contractor is David Garay, owner of Garay Construction, Inc., a general construction firm and certified small business enterprise( SBE) based in Baldwin Park. Garay Construction started work on the CLC project in April at sites in Sylmar, Sherman Oaks, and Sunland.
Garay joined the CDABP in 2018 and has appreciated the individualized support he’ s received, as well as the training the program provides.“ Navigating government contracting programs can seem complicated and confusing to many people like me,” noted Garay.“ The
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