The Small Business Administration (SBA) has identified officials responsible for the agency’s contracting in support of emergency recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The information available here lists SBA points of contact (POCs) for disaster contracts nationwide, 8(a) program waivers nationwide, protests and eligibility matters, and regional contacts.
The SBA is reiterating the importance of the government’s Disaster Response Registry for firms wishing to be identified by government contracting officials as potential contractors in activity categories such as debris removal, distribution of supplies, reconstruction, and other disaster or emergency relief supplies and/or services. Government agencies search the Disaster Response Registry of the System for Award Management (SAM) to find contractors that can help respond to disasters. The Registry within SAM lists contractors that offer services that support disaster recovery contracting efforts. Local firms affected by a Presidential major disaster or emergency declaration may be given contracting preferences under the terms of the Stafford Act.
Businesses must register in SAM to be eligible for disaster relief contracting opportunities. On average, it takes 2-3 days to complete the registration process. Once your registration is active, your firm will be added to the Disaster Response Registry. During registration, you must indicate you want to participate in the Disaster Response Registry and provide the required information on the Disaster Response Information page within the Assertions module.
Contact the Federal Service Desk (FSD) to get help registering. If you’re located in the U.S. and its outlying areas, you can get free support from your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), an official resource for government contracting assistance. In Georgia, the PTAC is operated by Georgia Tech. The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) advises businesses to seek its no-cost assistance before paying for any registration services. GTPAC also warns vendors to be cautious in selecting outside help, noting a recent fraud conviction involving a company misrepresenting itself as a vendor registration list for FEMA.
Remember, it is FREE to register and maintain your registration in SAM. If you get an email from any address that does not end in .gov or .mil, be cautious. If you get an email, text message, or phone call asking for money or payment of any amount, be very cautious. These parties do not represent the U.S. government. You engage third party vendors at your own risk.
In Georgia, you can contact a PTAC counselor at the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center at: http://gtpac.org/team-directory. If your business is located outside Georgia, you can identify the PTAC serving your state at: http://www.aptac-us.org/find-a-ptac.
See GTPAC’s other articles on disaster recovery contracting by clicking on these links:
