LABAVN is the City of Los Angeles’ free online portal for government contracts. To find work on it, you create an Angeleno Account, register your business on LABAVN, add the NAICS codes that describe what you sell, then search and set up alerts for open city bids. This guide walks through each step so you can find your first Los Angeles city contract, even if you have never bid before.
What is LABAVN?
LABAVN stands for the Los Angeles Business Assistance Virtual Network. It is a free service from the City of Los Angeles and the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development that lists every contract opportunity offered by city departments in one place. Businesses use it to register as a vendor, search bids, get alerts, and find certified subcontractors.
Think of LABAVN as the single front door to City of Los Angeles contracts. Before you can receive bid alerts or respond to most city solicitations, you need a company profile here. You can reach the portal at labavn.org, and the city posts answers to common questions on its LABAVN FAQ page.
How do you register on LABAVN to find contracts?
First create a free Angeleno Account, the City of Los Angeles single sign-on, then log in to labavn.org and complete your company profile. Enter your business details, choose your registration type, and add the NAICS codes that match your work. Turn on email notifications so the city alerts you when a matching bid posts. Registration is free.
Here are the steps:
- Create an Angeleno Account. On the LABAVN login page, set up the city single sign-on with your email and a password.
- Start your LABAVN profile. Sign in and begin company registration.
- Enter company information. Add your legal name, address, contact details, and ownership information.
- Choose your registration type. Pick Prime, Prime-Sub, or Subcontractor based on how you plan to work on city projects.
- Add your NAICS codes. Select every code that describes your products or services. These drive your bid alerts.
- Set your admin and notifications. Bid alerts go to your company’s admin user, so confirm that person is subscribed under the User Profile section.
One detail trips up new vendors: only your designated admin user receives the email alerts. If that inbox is not watched, real opportunities go unread.
How do you search for bid opportunities on LABAVN?
Sign in to LABAVN and open the contract opportunity search. You can browse all open City of Los Angeles bids and filter by NAICS code, keyword, contract type, or closing date. Open any listing to read the scope of work, download the solicitation documents, and note the due date. You can also find certified subcontractors there to complete your bid.
A simple search routine looks like this:
- Run a broad search first. Use one or two plain keywords for your work to see what is open right now.
- Filter by NAICS code to narrow results to your category.
- Open promising listings and read the scope, the evaluation criteria, and the submission deadline.
- Download the solicitation package. Follow its forms and instructions exactly.
- Note the deadline and any outreach requirements. Many city contracts include good-faith subcontractor outreach steps you must document.
City deadlines are firm. A late or incomplete submission is usually disqualified, no matter how strong your offer is.
How does LABAVN compare to Cal eProcure?
LABAVN and Cal eProcure are both free, but they cover different governments and use different code systems. LABAVN lists City of Los Angeles bids and uses NAICS codes. Cal eProcure lists California state bids and uses UNSPSC codes. If you want both city and state work, you register on both and keep two separate profiles current.
| LABAVN | Cal eProcure | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | City of Los Angeles | State of California (DGS) |
| What it lists | LA city contracts | State agency bids (CSCR) |
| Classification code | NAICS | UNSPSC |
| Cost | Free | Free |
| Drives your alerts | Yes, by NAICS | Yes, by UNSPSC |
If state contracts are also on your list, our step-by-step guide to finding bids on Cal eProcure covers that portal in the same detail. The mismatch between the two code systems also points to a deeper problem: different agencies describe the same work with different codes and different words, so a code filter shows you false matches and hides real ones.
What certifications can you get through LABAVN?
The City of Los Angeles offers six certification categories, and you request them through LABAVN and the Regional Alliance Marketplace for Procurement (RAMP). Certification can qualify you for local business preferences and subcontracting goals on city projects, which improves your odds as a smaller firm. You apply online and submit supporting documents for review.
The main categories are:
- Small Business Enterprise (SBE): for smaller firms, often verified through the SBE (Proprietary) request inside LABAVN.
- Minority Business Enterprise (MBE): at least 51% owned and controlled by members of recognized minority groups.
- Women Business Enterprise (WBE): at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more women.
- Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE): requires certification by the State of California DGS as a DVBE.
- Emerging Business Enterprise (EBE) and Other Business Enterprise (OBE): additional categories for the city program.
For help, the city’s Bureau of Contract Administration handles certifications and can be reached at bca.certifications@lacity.org. If you are new to certifications statewide, our guide to California small business certification explains the broader programs.
Why LABAVN is only part of the picture
LABAVN only lists City of Los Angeles opportunities. Los Angeles County runs its own bidding system, and nearby cities, school districts, and special agencies post on separate portals like PlanetBids. So registering on LABAVN solves access to city contracts, but it leaves out most of the public work happening around you.
That fragmentation is the real cost for small teams. You end up logging into LABAVN, Cal eProcure, county systems, and a stack of city portals, running the same searches over and over, and still reading dozens of solicitations to find the few worth pursuing. Good bids slip past while you are buried in the wrong ones.
FindBids solves the triage problem. It reads every active California government bid, including LABAVN, Cal eProcure, and local portals, compares each one to a plain-English profile of your business using meaning-based matching, and ranks them by genuine fit with the reasoning attached. Instead of scanning portals for hours, you see a short, prioritized list and focus on the contracts you can actually win. You can try it free for 24 hours with no card at app.findbids.us/signup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is LABAVN free to use?
Yes. The Los Angeles Business Assistance Virtual Network is a free service from the City of Los Angeles and the Mayor's Office of Economic Development. Registering, searching contracts, and downloading bid documents cost nothing. There is no fee to receive bid notifications or to find certified subcontractors for your team.
What is LABAVN used for?
LABAVN is the City of Los Angeles portal where city departments post contract and bid opportunities in one place. Businesses use it to register as a vendor, search open bids, receive email alerts matched to their NAICS codes, find certified subcontractors, and apply for city business certifications.
Do I need an Angeleno Account to use LABAVN?
Yes. To log in to LABAVN you first create a free Angeleno Account, the City of Los Angeles single sign-on. After that you complete your LABAVN company profile, choose your registration type, and add your NAICS codes so the system can send you matching bid alerts.
Does LABAVN use NAICS or UNSPSC codes?
LABAVN uses NAICS codes, not the UNSPSC codes that California's Cal eProcure uses. The NAICS codes in your company profile decide which bid notifications your admin user receives by email. Pick every code that fits your work so you do not miss relevant city opportunities.
What certifications can I get through LABAVN?
The City of Los Angeles offers six categories, including Small Business Enterprise (SBE), Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women Business Enterprise (WBE), Emerging Business Enterprise (EBE), Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE), and Other Business Enterprise (OBE). You request certification through LABAVN and the RAMP system.
How do I get bid notifications from LABAVN?
Notifications are emailed to your company's admin user when a city opportunity matches your NAICS interest codes. Make sure your codes are accurate and that the admin is subscribed under the User Profile section. Even with alerts on, search the portal regularly so a missing code does not hide a bid.
Does LABAVN list Los Angeles County and other agency bids?
No. LABAVN lists City of Los Angeles opportunities. Los Angeles County posts on its own system, and nearby cities use portals like PlanetBids. To see city, county, and state bids together, many businesses use a tool that monitors every portal at once instead of checking each by hand.