If you are seeking to do business with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in support of a disaster recovery effort, please be aware that in accordance with the Robert T. Stafford Act, FEMA seeks out local companies to perform contract work within the disaster area for goods and services related to a specific disaster.
The Army Corps of Engineers, and its contractors, actually do a lot of disaster response and recovery work such as debris removal. Use this link to access more information on contracting with the Corps in emergency situations: http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Emergency-Operations/Contracting-in-Disasters.
You can use this link — www.moveit.gsa.gov — for access to the General Services Administration (GSA) Transportation Management Services Solution (TMSS). FEMA procures many of its transportation needs through GSA including: truckload services, air charter, barges, air freight, air ambulance, heavy hauler, rail, vehicle rental, truck rental, travel trailers, and mobile homes.
Please Note: There are companies that mimic services of Federal agencies, and these companies typically charge fees for services that your business can typically accomplish yourself. Be aware that most, if not all, Federal Government services are free of charge. If you are approached by letter, email or phone to buy access to federal contracting opportunities, always make it a practice to reach out to the appropriate Federal agency first to inquire about the validity of the service, specifically if a fee is associated with it. An excellent source of no-cost assistance associated with navigating the government contracting process is the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC). You may contact GTPAC via email at: gtpacatl@innovate.gatech.edu. If your business is located outside the state of Georgia, you can find similar no- or low-cost help at: http://www.aptac-us.org/find-a-ptac.
Helpful Tips For Contractors:
- Get to know the Federal Business Opportunities website www.fbo.gov (known as FedBizOpps or FBO). FedBizOpps is the single point-of-entry to search, monitor, and retrieve Federal procurement opportunities. You will also find subcontractor, supplier and teaming opportunities here.
- Monitor the Department of Homeland Security’s planned contract opportunities on the DHS Acquisition Planning Forecast System (APFS) located at: http://apfs.dhs.gov/.
- Accept the government purchase card or credit card. The government buys more than $5 billion in goods and services annually using purchase cards. In emergency contracting situations, a great many government purchases are micro-purchases less than $3,500. (Note: Effective Aug. 29, 2017, the micro-purchase threshold for disaster recovery contracting was raised to $20,000. See details at: http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/2017/09/05/micro-purchase-and-simplified-acquisition-thresholds-raised-for-hurricane-harvey-response.)
- Promote your business in electronic catalogs. If you are a GSA Schedule contractor, GSA Advantage and other electronic commerce initiatives will allow you to list your products or services for government browsing.
- Publish your catalog listings on your company website. Having a website allows interested buyers to access additional information regarding your company (experience, past performance record, financial stability) after reviewing product descriptions.
- See other helpful information at: http://gtpac.org/2017/08/31/register-free-if-you-want-to-provide-debris-removal-supplies-reconstruction-and-other-disaster-or-emergency-relief.
