Business Summer Internship 2026 - Procurement Team

PACE • Los Angeles, CA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

This summer internship program is designed to give college-level interns a meaningful, hands-on introduction to government procurement and contract readiness. Through working directly with the PACE Business Procurement Team, the intern will contribute to real initiatives that help small, minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses across Los Angeles compete for government and private sector contracts.

Procurement Fundamentals: Learn how government contracting works, from vendor portal registrations (ProcureLA, SAM.gov, Cal eProcure) to certifications (HUBZone, 8(a), SDVOSB, RAMP) and capability statements.

Research & Analysis: Conduct meaningful research on procurement trends, outreach strategies, or process improvements and present findings in a final deliverable the team can use.

Operational Support: Assist with internal administrative tasks such as tracking client progress, organizing documentation, and maintaining records, while always keeping the focus on learning, not just doing.

Nonprofit & Public Sector Insight: Gain a real understanding of how a nonprofit like PACE connects underserved small businesses to government contracting opportunities at the local, state, and federal level.

Requirements

• 2 years or more at a college or university program, currently enrolled
• Proficiency with Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Familiarity with Google Workspace (Drive, Sheets, Docs).
• Basic comfort with online research and data organization.
• Strong research and writing skills: ability to synthesize information and present it clearly.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and reliable with deadlines.
• Genuine interest in economic development, small business, or public sector work.
• Ability to work independently and ask good questions.

Nice To Haves

• Preferred fields of study: Business Administration, Public Policy, Urban Planning, Economics, Communications, or related fields.
• Familiarity with government or nonprofit databases is a plus (SAM.gov, Cal eProcure, ProcureLA).

Responsibilities

• Help maintain and organize the procurement client intake tracker and shared drive files.
• Assist with preparing and reviewing SBA-641 enrollment forms and supporting documents.
• Support documentation for client outcomes including portal registrations, certifications, capability statements, and contracts.
• Help prepare materials for weekly procurement team meetings and monthly program reports.
• Research and benchmark procurement best practices from other Procurement technical assistance center programs and nonprofit organizations.
• Analyze and document current workflow gaps and propose actionable improvements.
• Develop original resources, templates, or guides that can be adopted by the procurement team.
• Present findings and recommendations to the team at the end of the program.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees