LGBT, veterans open to bid on Super Bowl contracts

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Super Bowl 50 is coming to Levi's Stadium in 2016.

On Monday, the NFL and the Super Bowl Committee made a historic announcement about who will be eligible to bid on contracts.

"I think it's about time. I'm so excited," said Audry deLucia, who with her wife Fran, owns Ellaprint, a company that offers a wide range of marketing and promotional materials. They're hoping to make history as part of Super Bowl 50.

"It's something that's a no brainer for San Francisco and the entire Bay Area to include the LGBT when it comes to opportunities to benefit from Super Bowl 50 coming to our region," said Daniel Luriel with the Super Bowl Host Committee.

The game will be played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara but the Host Committee is planning several days of events throughout the Bay Area. They'll need party planners, production companies and everything in between.

At past Super Bowls, the NFL reached out to minority and women-owned businesses as part of their program called Business Connect.

Now for the first time ever, LGBT businesses are being invited to bid.

Paul Pendergast is head of the nation's first LGBT Chamber of Commerce. He says if a company is qualified and the lowest bidder, that business would be a contender.

"You start changing the dialogue, you start bringing in all sorts of prospectives you never had before," said deLucia.

It's also a breakthrough for disabled veterans like H.T. Tran. The NFL-Super Bowl program is expanding to include them as well. Tran, who owns a building engineering firm was severely injured when an IED exploded during his tour in Iraq. He says Business Connect is about opening the doors so vets can compete.

"I think the main word is 'compete' because that's what veterans do. They don't want a free handout. They want to work for what they earn," said Tran.

It's not clear how lucrative those contracts will be, but there could be more diversity in who gets a piece of that pie.

To learn more about possible opportunities or how to attend a Kickoff Workshop, click here.