Businesses can HELP in the Hurricane Disaster Relief Efforts
by Melanie Berman - September 20, 2017
|
Disaster recovery is a long process. Doing the right things now will position you
to take advantage of opportunities that are still weeks or months down the road.
Know the facts:
- The Thomas T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act requires FEMA
to contract with businesses located in the affected area when feasible and practicable.
- State and local government agencies control a large proportion of disaster response
activities, so many of the contracting opportunities will come through these offices.
At the time of a disaster, they may initially rely upon contracts already in place.
- Potential contractors must be registered in the appropriate federal, state, and/or
local databases to be eligible for contract awards.
Take care of the fundamentals:
- Make sure that you are registered in all applicable databases (see below) and that
your company information is accurate, complete (including detailed capabilities listings),
and consistent across all the various registrations (i.e., use the same company name,
address, numbers, e-mail and web addresses). This will make it easier for government
agencies to cross check your information. Note: your SAM registration must match your
IRS and DUNS information.
- Make sure your company is well represented on the internet, with an up to date website
that clearly describes the goods and services you offer and (if possible) includes
a link to your catalogue. Especially in emergencies, agency buyers may rely on the
internet for market research.
- Actively research to find contract opportunities and then pursue them. See below for
information on federal agencies (like FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers) as well
as for state and local agencies in Texas and Florida.
Contact the Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center (APAC): There are never shortcuts in government contracting. Your local Procurement Technical
Assistance Center (PTAC) can help you—at no cost—to take the steps you need to be
eligible, to find, and to bid on government contracts.
For Federal government opportunities (FEMA; Army Corps of Engineers):
- Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov.
- Complete the Disaster Response Information section in SAM indicating you want to be included in the Disaster Response Registry.
The Disaster Response Registry is used by FEMA and The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
to establish their list of contractors that want to provide disaster-response assistance
through Federal Government procurement opportunities. Learn more about the Disaster Response Registry.
- Complete FEMA’s Industry Liaison Program Vendor Profile form and submit it to “fema-industry@fema.dhs.gov”
More Helpful Links:
|
|
