Government Contracts in Plain Language for Small Business

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

Presenting government contracts in simple, accessible language for small businesses and potential contractors became a key goal of the Los Angeles County Office of Small Business. Together with County colleagues from Standards & Practices (legal counsel) and Purchasing & Contact Services (subject matter experts), the Office of Small Business remodeled the County’s model contract template using plain language principles and best practices. Then, the County delivered the remodeled contract to its small business community through an outreach campaign of strategic workshops. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. With over six hundred program attendees during the past two years, the oral and written evaluations have shown a strong preference for the newly remodeled contract and the County has experienced a forty-two percent spike in registration of small business vendors and potential contractors as county-certified SBE (small business enterprise) participants. This program continues to book reservations of capacity crows for additional workshops in 2011.