March is National Procurement Month, recognizing the important work performed by procurement teams everywhere on a daily basis. The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) is proud of our Procurement Services team and their hard work and commitment to engaging local small businesses while also promoting awareness of bid opportunities with the Port.

To cap off Procurement Month, Port NOLA will be hosting a virtual Procurement Roundtable March 31 at 2 p.m. via Zoom to introduce Port NOLA’s new Director of Procurement Chanel Labat who will join Tony Evett, Chief Engineer and Vice President of Engineering and Facilities, and Chris Gilmore, Director of Engineering. The roundtable will share information on how to do business with the Port and explain the forecast for upcoming projects and bid opportunities.

Since 2017, Port NOLA’s Procurement team has spent over $11 million on purchases with Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program (DBE) and Small Business Program (SBE) businesses and has engaged with over 600 DBE/SBE vendors.

“Our Procurement team works hard each day to provide support to all staff, vendors and contractors. We are here for all your procurement needs,” said Labat who recently started her role at Port NOLA overseeing procurement and small business contracting.

Labat previously served as the Contract Manager for the Financial Reporting Division of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center as well as Purchasing Manager. She worked with the Convention Center for 14 years. As Contract Manager, she was responsible for the expedition and negotiation of contracts as well as informing vendors of the policies and procedures of the Center. She brings many years of solid professional experience in sales, servicing and buying.

Companies interested in doing business with the Port can join our vendor database on the Port website. The system is user-friendly and designed to allow users to view current and upcoming bid opportunities. Users must register and create an account to see complete project specifications and details. These users gain full access to current project specifications and they can opt to receive notifications regarding new opportunities that become available at Port NOLA.

“We want to ensure our procurement process is transparent and clear so as many qualified businesses as possible have the opportunity to work with Port NOLA,” said Brandy D. Christian, President and CEO of Port NOLA. “The Port is inclusive of companies large and small. We value the increased competition in the marketplace and growing the capabilities and experiences of our local and small business community members.”

Port NOLA’s Procurement team is dedicated to supporting buyers and users with the best procurement, negotiation, financial and informational resources, as well as providing qualified suppliers, service providers and vendors with open and fair access to contracting opportunities.

For more information about doing business with Port NOLA or for information about the Procurement Roundtable visit the Procurement pages of the website here.