§ 2-9.208. Local business preference.

The City recognizes that local businesses make significant contributions to the economic health of the City. The City supports local business opportunities, which encourage businesses to move into and stay within the City, promote economic development and maintain a strong local economic base, which in turn foster economic growth in the City. Therefore, the City Council has determined it is in the City's best interest to establish and provide a preference to local businesses.

(a)

Competitive bid process. The City manager is authorized to extend a preference to a responsible and responsive local business in a competitive bid for the procurement of supplies, equipment, and materials not to exceed five (5%) percent of the local businesses total bid price, or $2,500.00, whichever is lower, for the purpose of determining the lowest bid.

(b)

Local preference. When a non-local business has submitted the lowest responsive and responsible bid, and when one or more local businesses have also bid, the local business's total bid amount will be reduced by five (5%) percent for bid comparison purposes. If the net amount is lower than the lowest bid, the bid will be awarded to the local business for the full amount of its bid.

(c)

Local business. For purposes of this chapter, "local business" means a vendor or contractor that has an office with at least one employee physically located within the City of Simi Valley, who possesses and shows evidence of a current business tax certificate issued by the City.

(d)

Exemptions. The local business preference does not apply to the following:

(1)

Bids for public projects as defined by Public Contracts Code Sections 20161 and 22002,

(2)

Bids funded by grants which prohibit the use of preferences, and

(3)

Contracts for services.

(§ 1, Ord. No. 1271 and WWD-16, eff. June 15, 2017 as amended by § 1, Ord. No. 1281 and WWD-17, eff. December 14, 2017)