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COVID-19 Update for March 29, 2021 - Grants and much more

New Grants: Now in its fourth round, KKR Small Business Builders is here to support entrepreneurs and their small businesses around the world. More than a hundred recipients have already been selected to receive a $10,000 grant as well as mentoring and coaching opportunities with KKR employees. Everyone who applies receives free access to the thousands of curated resources and a community of 360,000+ small business owners on Hello Alice.

To qualify, you must: Operate in the United States, United Arab Emirates, Spain, Singapore, Luxembourg, Japan, Ireland, India, Germany, France, England, China, or Australia. Be a for-profit business. Have 5 – 50 employees. Have generated annual gross revenues in 2019 of less than $7 million. Have a demonstrated need for support. Propose a strong plan for moving forward

Although the application asks for the name and email of the KKR employee who nominated you, those questions are optional! Anybody who meets the eligibility rules can apply.

To learn more about the program and submit an application, visit kkr.helloalice.com or Apply now!

In December 2020, the state began the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program that provides micro grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to eligible small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19 and the related health and safety restrictions. The State built on the program it began in December by allocating an additional $2.1 billion, including a special program allotment of $50M for non-profit cultural institutions. The California Office of the Small Business Advocate, through their selected intermediary, Lendistry, will administer the new $2.1 billion allocation.

The remaining additional rounds will be conducted as follows:

Round 5: Thursday, March 25th through Wednesday, March 31st

  • Eligible applicants: current waitlisted small businesses and nonprofits not selected in Rounds 1, 2, or 3 and new applicants that meet eligibility criteria found at CAReliefGrant.com.
  • Eligible grant award: $5,000 - $25,000
  • Details: Applicants not selected to receive a grant in Rounds 1, 2, & 3 do not need to reapply as they will be automatically moved into Round 5. New applicants will need to apply at CAReliefGrant.com.

Round 6: Date to be announced soon

  • Eligible applicants: current waitlisted small businesses and/or nonprofits not selected in Rounds 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 and new applicants that meet eligibility criteria found at CAReliefGrant.com.
  • Eligible grant award: $5,000 - $25,000
  • Details: Applicants not selected to receive a grant in Rounds 1, 2, 3 & 5 do not need to re-apply and will be automatically moved into Round 6. New applicants will need to apply at CAReliefGrant.com.

If you are small business owner who already applied for a loan, do not worry about reapplying. If you have not applied, additional information on eligibility, required documentation and the application can be found at CAReliefGrant.com.

The Numbers: Pasadena reported secen new cases on Saturday with no fatalities. 

Los Angeles County has reported 700 new cases of the coronavirus and 23 additional deaths, as health officials warned that Spring Break and upcoming religious holidays present a danger of greater transmission of the virus. The number of COVID-19 patients in county hospitals declined slightly from 676 on Friday to 669 Saturday, with the number of those in intensive care dropping from 170 to 166, according to state figures. Saturday’s numbers brought county’s totals to 1,217,707 cases and 23,078 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

California: As of March 28, California has 3,562,191 confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in 57,746 deaths. On Saturday, the state reported 2998 new cases and 195 fatalities. 

PPP Loans: Friday, the Senate voted to pass H.R. 1799, the “PPP Extension Act” which will ensure that small businesses have appropriate access to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as they continue to struggle due to the impact of the pandemic.

Vaccines: COVID-19 vaccines will be made available to everyone in the state aged 50 and older beginning April 1, then to everyone aged 16 and up on April 15, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today, saying vaccine supply is expected to quickly skyrocket. The state has been receiving roughly 1.8 million doses a week, but the state anticipates receiving 2.5 million weekly doses by early April, then more than 3 million per week by the end of that month. The news comes as Pasadena and LA County approach the even-less restrictive Orange Tier that would increase indoor capacity at several businesses, including local restaurants.

COVID-19 vaccine eligibility has been slowly expanding in the state in recent weeks. Most recently, eligibility was extended to people aged 16 and over with serious underlying health conditions that put them at risk of severe illness or death from COVID. An array of essential workers are already eligible for vaccines, such as teachers and food workers. Health care workers were the first to be given access to the vaccine, and everyone in the state aged 65 and over is already eligible. Thursday’s announcement means everyone in the state aged 16 and up will be eligible for the shots in mid-April. However, given the state’s vast population, it will still take months to provide the vaccines to everyone who wants one.

School: From PasadenaNOW: The Pasadena Unified School District and United Teachers of Pasadena on Friday announced an agreement on reopening middle and high schools for in-person instruction, setting the date for student cohorts to begin returning to campus on April 20, according to a statement issued by the district.

As previously announced, PUSD student cohorts in preschool through second grade will begin returning April 13. Student cohorts in grades 3-5 return April 20. Student cohorts in grades 6-12 will begin to return for in-person instruction on April 20 in the hybrid simultaneous learning model where groups of students are in the classroom and their classmates remain in distance learning, the statement said.

Students who select in-person learning will be on campus in cohorts for two consecutive days between Tuesday and Friday and the remainder of the week in distance learning.  Students will be on campus either Tuesday-Wednesday or Thursday-Friday, depending on their cohort assignment.

Cohorts will be assigned according to the results of the Return to Campus Survey which closes for 6-12 parents/guardians on April 7, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Schools will notify parents/guardians about their students’ cohort assignments the week of April 12. Middle and high schools will hold orientation sessions for their school communities the week of April 12.

 

The Economy: From the Financial Times: Fed expects US economic growth to hit 6.5% this year but signals no rate rises until 2024: Federal Reserve officials sharply upgraded their growth forecasts for the world’s largest economy but signalled that they expected to keep interest rates close to zero until at least 2024. The median estimate from Fed officials now predicts that US economic growth will reach 6.5 per cent this year, compared with 4.2 per cent in its December forecast. The rosier projections from the Fed came at the end of a two-day meeting of the FOMC on Wednesday held against a backdrop of growing optimism about the US economy in the wake of Joe Biden’s $1.9tn fiscal stimulus and the country’s swift vaccination rollout.

 

From The Wall Street Journal: On Wednesday, it was the durable goods report’s turn. The Commerce Department said that new orders for long-lasting manufactured items dropped 1.1% in February from January, snapping a nine-month streak of gains. Orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft, seen as a gauge of the direction of companies’ capital spending, slipped 0.8% in the first decline since April of last year.

It was probably the weather that drove the drop in orders, just as it was probably the weather that accounted for the decline in February existing and new home sales, reported earlier this week, and for the decline in February retail sales and industrial production reported last week. The strong winter storms that hit the country last month, and particularly the Texas blackouts, pushed the pause button on all types of economic activity.

There are signs that things got back on track this month. Creditcard data suggest retail sales have already bounced back. March manufacturing surveys indicate that fac- tories are, if anything, struggling to keep up with demand, which should help push capital spending along.

Indeed, the bigger question in the months ahead may not be whether manufacturers continue to experience growing demand, but what the contours of that demand will be as more people are vaccinated, allowing the economy, with hope, to reopen further. Orders for computers and electronic goods, which were a source of strength through much of last year, were softening even before February. Industrial categories, such as manufacturing equipment, have done better.

Still, until March data arrives it won’t be possible to know for sure if February’s economic setbacks were about anything more than the weather. Worse, while it makes sense that demand will rise with Covid-19 cases down sharply from earlier this year and vaccinations rolling out, the ultimate size and shape of that rebound remains muddled. February’s economic reports might not be worth worrying much about, but neither were they helpful.

April Networking Lunch Sponsored by City of Hope April 7th-Connection Breakfast April 8th sponsored by Intelligent Leadership Executive Coaching

Join us for our virtual networking Luncheon Alliance on Wednesday April 7th at 11:30am and Connection Breakfast Thursday, April 8th at 8am. (Sorry, because of the calendar, the events are on back-to-back days.)

Morse Cristal of City of Hope sponsors the April lunch. John Burt of Intelligent Leadership Executive Coaching sponsors April's breakfast.

Network, promote your business, meet new people, make new connections, build our contact list-all from the safety of your own home or office (or wherever you may be) via ZOOM. 

Cost is $5 for Pasadena Chamber member and $10 for non-members. 

Click here to register and pay for lunch: http://www.pasadena-chamber.org/events/socially-distanced-luncheon-alliance

Click here to register and pay for breakfast: http://www.pasadena-chamber.org/events/socially-distanced-connection-breakfast

Once you register and pay you will be emailed a link to the appropriate ZOOM event. You must include your email address when paying to ensure you receive the meeting notification. Your meeting notification will be sent to the email address you use with PayPal to pay fo the event. 

Please do not share the link with anyone other than the person registered for the event. 

Need a printer for home? Look at ‘Inkonomics’ of Printers from the Wall Street Journal

From Joanna Stern and the Wall Street Journal:

Once upon a time, there was a tech columnist who bought a $150 printer with a model number so long it’s now her bank password.

The two lived as happily as a printer and a human could. She pulled jammed paper from its rollers, came to understand its sporadic grunts and fed it $40 color cartridges—even though she only printed black-and-white labels.

Nearly five years later, as the printer was on its last legs, she did the math. She spent $1,200 on ink—eight times the cost of the printer.

There it is, my tale of how I lost to one of the greatest rackets of the technology industry: cheap inkjet printers with expensive ink refills. The solution isn’t to stop buying printers. In fact, we need printers more than ever. Since living the work-from home life, printer purchases are up. During the first nine months of the pandemic, retail dollar sales of printers rose 51% compared with the year-earlier period, while unit sales climbed 8%, according to NPD.

“We thought the pandemic demand was going to be a flash in the pan, but it’s been strong ever since,” said Eric Dahl, senior director of marketing at printer-maker Brother International Corp. Executives at HPand Epson shared the same sentiment. Many printers continue to be sold out.

Even my top picks below might not be available at every retailer, though no models I mention are discontinued.

The real answer to our printing woes is to buy a newer kind of inkjet printer. It’s called an ink-tank printer, and it holds way more ink in tanks. Epson pioneered the category nearly six years ago with a $400 option. Now all the major printer makers have caught on, with prices starting at $200. For households that print a lot, these make the most sense.

Ink prices aren’t the only thing to consider. That’s why I did the unthinkable: I tested 10 ink-tank, cartridgeinkjet and laser models, evaluating them for speed, print quality and ease of use. All of them are all-in-ones: printer, scanner and copier. They all have Wi-Fi for easy wireless printing from most devices in your home.

With all the cheap plastic trays and pieces and confusing buttons and menus, there is still no such thing as a great printer, only tolerable ones. That said, here are my top picks.

Most tolerable ink tanks

An ink-tank printer is like Costco toilet paper. You get far more for your money, and it lasts and lasts and lasts.

Let’s look at the $300 Epson EcoTank ET-2760, one of my top ink-tank picks. Included in the box are four bottles of ink (black, yellow, magenta and cyan). Like a mad scientist, you pour each one individually into the tank.

Now let’s look at the inkonomics: At $300, the Eco-Tank comes with two years of ink, according to the company’s estimates—up to 7,500 black pages and 6,000 color pages. When you do run out, the replacement ink tubes cost $13 for each color and $20 for black.

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820, an old-schoolcartridge inkjet printer I tested, costs $150 and comes with cartridges that print 350 black pages and 240 color pages. The black ink cartridge costs $20 to replace, while the color bundle is $34.

You pay twice as much for the EcoTank printer up front, but if you went with the WorkForce and replaced the cartridges three times, you would be paying the price of the EcoTank. And if you wanted to print 7,500 black-and white pages and 6,000 color pages with this Work-Force model? It could set you back over $1,200.

The Epson EcoTank had the best ink-to-price ratio, but I’m going for the $200 Brother INKvestment Tank MFCJ995DW. It has a touch screen and among the ink-tank models I tested, it had the fastest black ink print speed.

Most tolerable cartridge inkjet

The only time an old-school, cheap cartridge ink-jetmakes sense is if you need to print a page here and there.

If that’s you, I recommend the $150 HP Envy Pro 6455. The compact printer was easy to set up, printed at a decent clip and had good photo quality. My one problem is that there are just a few buttons. HP leans on its app to handle most print info and controls.

In that app, HP will try to sell you on Instant Ink, its ink-subscription program. I know, because you need another subscription in your life. Yet the president of HP Print, Tuan Tran, tells me the service grew 60% because of work and school at home.

The subscriptions are based on pages. For example, $5 buys you 100 pages a month. Need to print more than that? You’ll be charged $1 for every 10 pages. Since your printer is connected to the internet, as soon as the ink gets low, HP sends new cartridges.

Most tolerable laser printer

If you need a fast blacand- white printer look at the $170 Brother HLL2395DW. It printed the first 50 pages of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission report in 1 minute, 36 seconds flat. An HP laser printer I tested took a minute longer. None of the ink-tank printers could do the job in under 4 minutes.

The inkonomics don’t quite favor laser. A Brother’s $77 toner replacement prints 3,000 pages. That makes a lot of sense compared with an old-school inkjet, but on bang for buck, it’s no match for the Epson EcoTank.

Should buying a printer be so hard in 2021? No. The business models are much more consumer-friendly than they were five years ago, but the printers are still delicate and annoying pieces of machinery.

Bid and Contract Opportunities-Take Advantage of Government Procurement-Small and Local Business Requirements Can Work in Your Favor

Here are bid and contract opportunities with local governments that we are aware of. 

To bid for this work, you must sign up with Planet Bids (just follow one of the links) and register with the appropriate jurisdiction.

Here is what we are aware of at this time: 

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The City of South Pasadena as the newest public agency to join PlanetBids and utilize the PB System™, a fully automated web-based vendor and bid management system. At this time, you are invited to visit the City of South Pasadena Vendor Portal to register as a vendor. Each agency utilizing PlanetBids has their own database of vendors and their own Vendor Portal, therefore, even if you are already registered at another agency using PlanetBids, you must create a NEW profile specifically for this agency. Upon successful registration, you will be sent a confirmation email and begin receiving Bid Alert emails when projects in your area of interest are posted. The City of South Pasadena appreciates your time and effort and looks forward to doing business with you. Register Now

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At this time, you are invited to visit the City of Manhattan Beach Vendor Portal to register as a vendor. Each agency utilizing PlanetBids has their own database of vendors and their own Vendor Portal, therefore, even if you are already registered at another agency using PlanetBids, you must create a NEW profile specifically for this agency. Upon successful registration, you will be sent a confirmation email and begin receiving Bid Alert emails when projects in your area of interest are posted. The City of Manhattan Beach appreciates your time and effort and looks forward to doing business with you.  Register Now

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At this time, you are invited to visit the Walnut Valley Water District Vendor Portal to register as a vendor. Each agency utilizing PlanetBids has their own database of vendors and their own Vendor Portal, therefore, even if you are already registered at another agency using PlanetBids, you must create a NEW profile specifically for this agency.  Upon successful registration, you will be sent a confirmation email and begin receiving Bid Alert emails when projects in your area of interest are posted.  The Walnut Valley Water District appreciates your time and effort and looks forward to doing business with you.

 
Register Now

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Port of San Diego has a new bidding opportunity that may be of interest to you!

Please visit the bid details for more information.

You have received this email because you are registered with another agency using PB System™ by PlanetBids.
If you are not registered directly with Port of San Diego, you will need to do so in order to participate in this bid.

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North County Transit District has a new bidding opportunity that may be of interest to you!

Please visit the bid details for more information.

You have received this email because you are registered with another agency using PB System™ by PlanetBids.
If you are not registered directly with North County Transit District, you will need to do so in order to participate in this bid.

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A new bid request was posted by City of Manhattan Beach which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: AVIATION BOULEVARD MISSING SIDEWALK PROJECT
Release Date: March 25, 2021 1:53 PM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: April 26, 2021 4:00 PM (Pacific)

Please visit AVIATION BOULEVARD MISSING SIDEWALK PROJECT for further details!

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A new bid request was posted by City of Lancaster which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: 2020 Fall Pavement Management Program
Release Date: March 1, 2021 7:48 AM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: March 23, 2021 11:00 AM (Pacific)

Please visit the bid details for more information.

Notified Categories:
237310 - Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction

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City of Moreno Valley has a new bidding opportunity that may be of interest to you!

Please visit the bid details for more information.

You have received this email because you are registered with another agency using PB System™ by PlanetBids.
If you are not registered directly with City of Moreno Valley, you will need to do so in order to participate in this bid.

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A new bid request was posted by City of Pasadena which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: Villa Parke Community Center Renovation and Addition
Release Date: March 19, 2021 2:28 PM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: April 22, 2021 2:00 PM (Pacific)

Please visit the bid details for more information.

Notified Categories:
36000 - Floor Covering, Floor Covering Installation And Removal Equipment, And Supplies
65000 - Park, Playground, Recreational Area And Swimming Pool Equipment And Supplies
90900 - Building Construction Services, New (Incl. Maintenance And Repair Services)
91000 - Building Maintenance, Installation And Repair Services
91001 - Acoustical Ceilings And Walls: Cleaning, Installation, Restoration, Maintenance And Repair (Including Panel Wall Systems)
91006 - Carpentry Maintenance And Repair Services
91014 - Door Installation, Maintenance, And Repair (Metal)
91023 - Firestop Systems (Includes Installation And Fireproofing)
91025 - Flooring Maintenance And Repair To Include Refinishing And Sealing
91036 - Heating, Air Conditioning, And Ventilation Maintenance And Repair Services (Including Installation)
91038 - Insulation And Asbestos Installation, Maintenance, Repair And Removal Services (Includes Spray-On Insulation)
91047 - Lead Abatement Services
91051 - Masonry, Concrete, And Stucco Maintenance, Finishing, And Repair (Includes Inside Concrete Sawing And Grouting Work)
91054 - Painting, Maintenance And Repair Services (Including Caulking)
91055 - Overhead Door Installation, Maintenance, And Repair
91056 - Panel Wall Systems Installation, Maintenance, And Repair
91060 - Plumbing Maintenance And Repair (Includes Pressure Tapping Services, Pipe Freezes, Toilets, Etc.)
91065 - Remodeling And Alterations
91066 - Roofing, Gutters, And Downspouts Maintenance And Repair
91071 - Shoring And Reinforcement Services
91075 - Wall And Ceiling Repair And Replacement (Including Drywalling)
91079 - Window Installation, Maintenance And Repair (Metal)
91080 - Window Installation, Maintenance, And Repair (Wood)
91082 - Wiring And Other Electrical Maintenance And Repair Services
91200 - Construction Services, General (Incl. Maintenance And Repair Services)
91300 - Construction Services, Heavy (Incl. Maintenance And Repair Services)
91400 - Construction Services, Trade (New Construction)
91427 - Carpentry
91430 - Concrete
91438 - Electrical
91447 - Glass And Glazing
91450 - Heating, Ventilating And Air Conditioning (Hvac)
91458 - Metal Work
91461 - Painting And Wallpapering
91468 - Plumbing
91473 - Roofing And Siding
91479 - Structural And Reinforcement Steel
91480 - Stucco
96861 - Pavement Marking Services (Including Removal Of Markings)
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A new bid request was posted by City of Pasadena which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: City-Wide Video Conferencing Solution
Release Date: March 19, 2021 12:53 PM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: April 22, 2021 4:00 PM (Pacific)

Please visit the bid details for more information.

Notified Categories:
28000 - Electrical Cables And Wires (Not Electronic)
28500 - Electrical Equipment And Supplies (Except Cable And Wire)
69100 - Power Transmission Equipment (Electrical, Mechanical, Air And Hydraulic)
83200 - Tape (Not Data Processing, Measuring, Optical, Sewing, Sound, Or Video)
90693 - Video Systems Design - Architectural Services
91082 - Wiring And Other Electrical Maintenance And Repair Services
91438 - Electrical
91800 - Consulting Services
96287 - Travel, Local (Provided By Third Party)
96292 - Video Scanning Of Sewers, Water Wells, Etc.
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A new bid request was posted by City of Pasadena which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: REDISTRICTING TASK FORCE CONSULTANT SERVICES
Release Date: March 19, 2021 11:04 AM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: April 16, 2021 2:00 PM (Pacific)

Please visit the bid details for more information.

Notified Categories:
91800 - Consulting Services
91806 - Administrative Consulting
91826 - Communications: Public Relations Consulting
91827 - Community Development Consulting
91858 - Governmental Consulting
91874 - Legal Consulting
91875 - Management Consulting
91883 - Organizational Development Consulting
91892 - Urban Planning Consulting
96112 - Codification Of Government Codes (To Include Code Conversion And Code Maintenance Services)
96160 - Public Opinion Surveys
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A new bid request was posted by City of Pasadena which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: CDFA Healthy Retail Project- Interior Electrical
Release Date: March 18, 2021 5:28 PM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: March 29, 2021 12:00 PM (Pacific)

Please visit the bid details for more information.

Notified Categories:
28500 - Electrical Equipment And Supplies (Except Cable And Wire)
28700 - Electronic Equipment, Components, Parts, And Accessories (See Class 730 For Testing Or Analyzing Type)
74000 - Refrigeration Equipment And Accessories
91082 - Wiring And Other Electrical Maintenance And Repair Services
91438 - Electrical
96246 - Installation And Removal Services (Not Otherwise Classified)
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A new bid request was posted by City of Manhattan Beach which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: Crosswalk Improvement Project
Release Date: March 18, 2021 4:34 PM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: April 15, 2021 4:00 PM (Pacific)

Please visit Crosswalk Improvement Project for further details!

Notified Categories:
541330 - Engineering Services
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A new bid request was posted by City of Inglewood which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: ADA COMPLIANCE REMODEL AT 401 WEST ARBOR VITAE, INGLEWOOD,CA 90301
Release Date: March 17, 2021 3:13 PM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: April 14, 2021 11:30 AM (Pacific)

Please visit the bid details for more information.

Notified Categories:
90900 - Building Construction Services, New (Incl. Maintenance And Repair Services)
90922 - Building Construction, Non-Residential (Office Bldg., Etc.)
91350 - Construction, Street (Major And Residential)(Includes Reconstruction)
91400 - Construction Services, Trade (New Construction)
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Foothill-De Anza Community College District has a new bidding opportunity that may be of interest to you!

Please visit the bid details for more information.

You have received this email because you are registered with another agency using PB System™ by PlanetBids.
If you are not registered directly with Foothill-De Anza Community College District, you will need to do so in order to participate in this bid.

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A new bid request was posted by City of Inglewood which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: Traffic Signal Safety Improvements La Brea Avenue (64TH Street to Beach Avenue) and for Prairie Avenue (Grace Avenue to 111TH Street) Project
Release Date: March 15, 2021 3:59 PM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: April 14, 2021 11:00 AM (Pacific)

Please visit the bid details for more information.

Notified Categories:
90638 - General Construction - Architectural
90900 - Building Construction Services, New (Incl. Maintenance And Repair Services)
90922 - Building Construction, Non-Residential (Office Bldg., Etc.)
91200 - Construction Services, General (Incl. Maintenance And Repair Services)
91300 - Construction Services, Heavy (Incl. Maintenance And Repair Services)
91336 - Construction, Parking Lot And Alley
91350 - Construction, Street (Major And Residential)(Includes Reconstruction)
91400 - Construction Services, Trade (New Construction)
94000 - Equipment Maintenance, Repair, Construction, And Related Services For Railroads
95826 - Construction Management Services
96218 - Cable Construction, Installation And Maintenance (Fiber Optic, Communication, Computer, Etc.)
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A new bid request was posted by City of Pasadena which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: Local Road Safety Plan
Release Date: March 11, 2021 12:48 PM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: April 15, 2021 3:00 PM (Pacific)

Please visit the bid details for more information.

Notified Categories:
91800 - Consulting Services
91806 - Administrative Consulting
91827 - Community Development Consulting
91837 - Economy Consulting
91842 - Engineering Consulting
91843 - Environmental Consulting
91894 - Traffic Consulting
91896 - Transportation Consulting
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A new bid request was posted by Port of Los Angeles CDBON which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: Berths 176-179 Electrical Infrastructure Improvements
Release Date: March 11, 2021 10:15 AM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: April 29, 2021 2:45 AM (Pacific)

Please visit the bid details for more information.

Notified Categories:
237110 - Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction
237130 - Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction
238110 - Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors
238120 - Structural Steel and Precast Concrete Contractors
238190 - Other Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors
238210 - Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors
238220 - Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors
238910 - Site Preparation Contractors
238990 - All Other Specialty Trade Contractors
562112 - Hazardous Waste Collection

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A new bid request was posted by City of Manhattan Beach which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: ROWELL AVENUE SIDEWALK CONNECTION PROJECT
Release Date: March 9, 2021 1:25 PM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: April 7, 2021 4:00 PM (Pacific)

Please visit the bid details for more information.

Notified Categories:
541330 - Engineering Services

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A new bid request was posted by City of Inglewood which meets your selected criteria.

Project Title: Inglewood Traffic Management Center Project:Construction
Release Date: March 8, 2021 1:47 PM (Pacific)
Bid Due Date: April 7, 2021 11:30 AM (Pacific)

Please visit the bid details for more information.

Notified Categories:
28000 - Electrical Cables And Wires (Not Electronic)
28500 - Electrical Equipment And Supplies (Except Cable And Wire)
28700 - Electronic Equipment, Components, Parts, And Accessories
91200 - Construction Services, General (Incl. Maintenance And Repair Services)
91233 - Construction, Swimming Pool
91300 - Construction Services, Heavy (Incl. Maintenance And Repair Services)
91336 - Construction, Parking Lot And Alley
91350 - Construction, Street (Major And Residential)(Includes Reconstruction)
91400 - Construction Services, Trade (New Construction)
91438 - Electrical
91800 - Consulting Services
91831 - Construction Consulting
95825 - Conservation/Resource Management Services
95826 - Construction Management Services
96231 - Electrostatic Painting
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Fed Chief Says Economy Will Take Time to Recover

From the Wall Street Journal: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell reiterated Monday that the U.S. economy’s recovery remains far from complete despite recent improvement and that the central bank plans to continue providing support.

“The recovery has progressed more quickly than generally expected and looks to be strengthening,” Mr. Powell said in testimony prepared for delivery Tuesday in a hearing before the House Financial Services Committee. “But the recovery is far from complete, so, at the Fed, we will continue to provide the economy the support that it needs for as long as it takes.”

The Fed has held its benchmark interest rate near zero since the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic slammed the U.S. economy a year ago. Most central bank officials don’t expect to raise the rate until 2024 at the earliest. The Fed also plans to continue purchasing at least $120 billion a month of Treasury debt and mortgage-backed securities until the economic recovery makes “substantial further progress.”

A major federal relief package passed last year requires the heads of the Fed and Treasury Department to testify before Congress every quarter on their efforts to support the U.S. economy during the pandemic. After Tuesday’s hearing in the House, Mr. Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen are set to appear Wednesday before the Senate Banking Committee.

The package, known as the Cares Act, provided the Treasury Department $454 billion with which

to backstop extraordinary lending programs by the Fed. Mr. Powell said Monday that the facilities had helped unlock almost $2 trillion in credit to support businesses, cities and states.

Then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin decided Nov. 19 to let five of the special programs—including one that lent directly to midsize companies and another that bought local-government debt—expire at the end of 2020. That opened up a rare public rift between the Fed and Treasury and triggered a partisan fight over whether the Biden administration should have access to the money.

Since then, however, Congress has approved nearly $3 trillion in fiscal support for the economy. Fed officials and private economists expect the stimulus measures, combined with a relaxing of pandemic-related restrictions as vaccination progress continues, will power the strongest economic growth the U.S. has seen since the early 1980s.

Mr. Powell has said repeatedly in recent weeks that the Fed is in no hurry to change its easy-money policies until its forecasts materialize in the form of higher inflation and a strong labor market.

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