Improving Contracting at the City of Los Angeles Airports, Port, and Department of Water and Power

The objective of this research was to find ways to improve the purchasing, contracting, and leasing activities at the City of Los Angeles’s three proprietary departments—the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the Port of Los Angeles (Port), and the Department of Water and Power (DWP). These departments are established in the City Charter as self-supporting departments that transfer a percentage of their revenue to the city’s general fund. The effort was intended to bring improved transparency, efficiency, and public trust to its purchasing, contracting and leasing activities.