LA28 is already moving toward its small-business procurement goals. Here’s how Los Angeles businesses—including Latino-owned businesses—can prepare now for contracts and opportunities surrounding the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Los Angeles is preparing to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the economic opportunity surrounding the Games is already moving beyond the planning stage.
LA28 has established a goal of directing 75% of its addressable procurement spending to the Greater Los Angeles region and 25% to small businesses. Its procurement strategy specifically emphasizes local, small, hyperlocal and micro businesses.
But there is an important reality for local entrepreneurs:
Being a Los Angeles small business does not automatically make you ready for an LA28 contract.
Businesses need to understand procurement, register with appropriate platforms, prepare their qualifications and documentation, identify opportunities and be ready to compete when solicitations become available.
That is why several organizations are building different pieces of the region’s small-business procurement infrastructure.
LA28 is creating the Games-related procurement opportunities. The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce is helping connect businesses to that broader opportunity through initiatives such as Rally LA. Los Angeles County is providing procurement-readiness training through Path to 2028. And the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce is providing Latino-focused business and procurement resources through the broader Get in the Game ecosystem and its own programs.
Understanding those differences can help a business owner figure out where to start.
The LA28 opportunity is already taking shape
It is easy to think of Olympic contracts as something that will become relevant in 2028.
Businesses should not wait that long.
LA28 has already established a procurement strategy and supplier-registration process. The organization says businesses interested in working with the Games can register their interest, while emphasizing that registration does not guarantee a contract or business opportunity.
The region has already experienced the first wave of major sporting-event economic activity through the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Parriva previously examined the opportunities that remained for local businesses even after official World Cup vendor spots filled in our guide to World Cup business opportunities in Los Angeles.
LA28’s procurement strategy also says the organization will use regional outreach, supplier recruitment and procurement platforms to identify potential suppliers.
The goal is to create opportunities not only for large prime contractors but also for smaller businesses that can participate in the supply chain.
That distinction is important.
A neighborhood business may not win a massive headline contract directly from LA28. It could, however, potentially compete for work connected to a larger contractor, corporate partner or other organization involved in delivering the Games.
Those are often called indirect procurement opportunities.
For entrepreneurs, the key question isn’t simply:
“Are there Olympic contracts?”
It is:
“Where does my business fit into the supply chain?”
What is Rally LA?
Rally LA is an initiative of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, developed with Deloitte, that focuses on helping businesses access economic opportunities surrounding major sporting events.
The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce are two different organizations.
The Area Chamber is a regional business organization serving the broader Los Angeles business community. Rally LA is its initiative to help small businesses connect with procurement and economic opportunities surrounding events such as the FIFA World Cup and LA28.
The emphasis on indirect procurement is particularly important for small businesses.
Instead of competing directly for the largest contracts, a small business may be able to become part of a larger supplier network.
That could potentially include businesses providing products or services to prime contractors, corporate partners or other organizations with event-related needs.
For entrepreneurs, the key question isn’t simply:
“Are there Olympic contracts?”
It is:
“Where does my business fit into the supply chain?”
LA28’s small-business opportunity involves a network of programs
Rally LA is only one part of a larger regional ecosystem.
LA County’s Path to 2028
Los Angeles County’s Path to 2028 program provides free procurement-readiness training and resources for businesses interested in opportunities connected to the Games and other public-sector work.
The County organizes its preparation process around three stages:
Get Ready: Businesses work on registration, statements of qualifications and applicable certifications.
Get Set: Businesses learn how to research opportunities, understand procurement requirements and connect with potential buyers and prime contractors.
Go: Businesses learn how to compete, prepare proposals and submit bids or other required responses.
The County is also scheduled to host a Sports and Entertainment Supplier Diversity Summit on Sept. 28, 2026, making the next several weeks particularly relevant for businesses that want to learn more about procurement opportunities.
Get in the Game LA
The regional Get in the Game LA Supplier Resource Hub provides another pathway for small and diverse businesses.
The initiative offers advising, training, procurement-readiness programs, connections to buyers and other resources intended to help businesses become contract-ready.
This is important because procurement preparation can be useful far beyond the Olympics.
A business that learns how to register with government agencies, prepare a statement of qualifications and respond to solicitations can potentially use those skills to compete for contracts with other large institutional buyers.
For businesses also thinking about how to strengthen their technology and marketing capacity before pursuing larger contracts, Parriva has examined how AI video tools can help Latino small businesses compete with larger brands.
Why this matters for Latino-owned businesses
The Latino connection needs to be understood clearly:
LA28 has not created a separate Latino-only contracting program.
Its small-business procurement goals are intended to benefit businesses across the region.
The Latino connection comes through organizations and programs that help Latino entrepreneurs participate in that larger procurement ecosystem.
The Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce is a separate organization from the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. Its mission focuses on Latino business development and economic growth.
The Latino Chamber is a partner in Get in the Game, giving Latino and other diverse businesses access to procurement-readiness resources, advising, training, buyer connections and other opportunities.
The Latino Chamber also operates LISTO, a procurement-focused platform designed to connect Latino businesses with tailored opportunities and vetted business connections. Businesses should check the Chamber’s current membership and access requirements before relying on LISTO as a source of solicitations.
For Latino entrepreneurs, that distinction matters.
The LA28 opportunity is regional. The Los Angeles Latino Chamber provides a Latino-focused pathway into the broader business and procurement ecosystem.
Spanish-language help is available
Procurement can be difficult even for experienced business owners.
The terminology alone—solicitation, statement of qualifications, certification, prime contractor, subcontractor, compliance and proposal requirements—can create barriers for entrepreneurs who are unfamiliar with institutional contracting.
For Spanish-speaking Los Angeles business owners, language access is therefore an important part of the story.
The City of Los Angeles’ ProcureLA program provides small businesses with procurement assistance and offers multilingual support, including Spanish. The program can help businesses understand contracting requirements, registration, certifications, bidding and other procurement issues.
That does not mean every LA28 procurement document or process will be available in Spanish.
It does mean Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs have a place to ask for assistance rather than trying to navigate the system alone.
For Parriva readers, that distinction is important.
Don’t wait until 2028
The biggest mistake a small business could make is waiting until the Olympic Games are underway to start looking for opportunities.
By then, businesses may already need:
- vendor registrations;
- current licenses;
- insurance;
- certifications;
- financial documentation;
- past-performance information;
- a statement of qualifications;
- relationships with prime contractors;
- and an understanding of how to respond to solicitations.
That preparation takes time.
The regional procurement infrastructure is already operating, and LA28-related opportunities are beginning to appear through the ecosystem surrounding the Games.
That means the opportunity is not simply something to watch for in the future.
The preparation window is already open.
Five things Los Angeles small businesses can do now
1. Get your business paperwork in order
Review your registration, licenses, insurance and other documents that buyers may require.
If something is outdated, fix it before you need to submit a proposal.
2. Prepare a strong statement of qualifications
A statement of qualifications should quickly explain what your company does, what it can provide, what experience it has and why a potential buyer should consider it.
Think of it as your business’s procurement résumé.
3. Register with the relevant procurement resources
Explore the LA28 supplier-registration information, Get in the Game LA, LA County’s Path to 2028 and other appropriate procurement platforms.
Registration does not guarantee a contract, but it can put your business in a better position to learn about opportunities and understand the process.
4. Find out whether certifications could help
Depending on the type of contract and buyer, certain certifications may be relevant.
Do not assume a certification is necessary—or that one certification works everywhere.
Instead, ask the agency, buyer or procurement advisor what is actually required or useful for the opportunities you are pursuing.
5. Get help before you need it
Small-business owners do not have to learn institutional procurement entirely on their own.
Use the free or low-cost technical-assistance resources available through the County, City, SBDC network, Get in the Game and business organizations.
Latino entrepreneurs can also explore the Los Angeles Latino Chamber’s resources, while Spanish-speaking business owners can ask ProcureLA about multilingual assistance.
For businesses that may need financing to handle the costs associated with scaling for a large contract, Parriva’s guide to small-business banking options in 2026 offers another place to start thinking about cash-flow and banking relationships.
What businesses should watch next
The most useful question for small businesses is no longer whether LA28 intends to include them.
The question is which businesses will actually win contracts.
LA28’s procurement strategy establishes ambitious targets for regional and small-business participation.
But targets are not the same as outcomes.
As the Games approach, Parriva will be watching for:
- how many local small businesses register;
- how many receive contracts;
- how much procurement spending actually reaches small businesses;
- which industries benefit;
- whether microbusinesses are participating;
- whether Latino-owned businesses are winning contracts;
- and whether Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs can navigate the procurement process successfully.
Those measures will tell us whether the promise of an inclusive Olympic economy is becoming a reality.
For Latino families and entrepreneurs thinking about longer-term financial resilience, Parriva has also explored ways California’s Latino community can prepare for economic uncertainty. For business owners, strengthening procurement skills and building relationships with institutional buyers can be part of that broader resilience strategy.
Where to start
For LA28 opportunities:
Visit LA28’s supplier and procurement resources to learn how businesses can register their interest and monitor procurement information. Registration does not guarantee an opportunity.
For Rally LA and regional opportunities:
Explore the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce’s Rally LA resources. Rally LA is the Area Chamber’s initiative focused on connecting businesses with economic and indirect procurement opportunities surrounding major sporting events.
For Latino-owned businesses:
Explore the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce’s Get in the Game resources and its LISTO procurement platform. The Latino Chamber is a separate, Latino-focused organization—not the same organization as the Los Angeles Area Chamber.
For Spanish-language procurement assistance:
Visit ProcureLA to learn about procurement assistance and multilingual support, including Spanish.
For free County training:
Visit LA County’s Path to 2028 for procurement-readiness workshops and resources.
Los Angeles’ Olympic economic opportunity will not be determined simply by how much money is spent around the Games.
It will also be determined by who gets the opportunity to earn that money.
For local entrepreneurs, the best time to start preparing for LA28 small business contracts is not 2028.
It is now.
