More Disaster Recovery Contracting Opportunities at the State and Local Levels

Posted by Administrator on February 16th, 2007

Due to the aftermaths of hurricanes, such as Katrina and Wilma, disaster recovery contracts and government disaster spending have been in the spotlight. Many small businesses want to get involved but feel frustrated with the idea of competing for federal government disaster recovery contracts and would rather help with smaller, local disaster recovery contracts and disaster relief contracts instead. The SBA announced this February that now there’s a way you can help agencies at the state and local levels –in the near future, state and local agencies will be able to order products and services from federal contracts to support recent recovery from large-scale disasters and acts of terrorism.

This change will allow GSA to assist communities better during times of disasters or emergencies. In the Federal Register, there will be a change to the interim rule 40 U.S.C. 502 so that by spring of 2007, the support will be available to assist more communities.

Increased State and Local Government Disaster Spending

What this means to you, as a supplier, is that more state and local governments will have money to spend on disaster spending–normally, disaster recovery contracts were reserved for federal agencies. If a local or state agency wishes to take advantage of disaster relief contracts and disaster recovery contracts that are normally reserved for federal agencies, the purchases by the agencies must be declared in response to a major disaster. Under the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, the President declares a disaster. In addition, acts of terrorism also qualify as a major disaster. But, state and local agencies are able to purchase these goods and services before a disaster hits, to allow for rapid response and recovery.

With the help of the DHS and other federal agencies, the SBA has been working to implement this program. Contracts for disaster relief, Homeland Security and Wildland Fire and Equipment should be the first types of contracts available to state and local suppliers. “We’re taking steps today to make the most critical contracts available as soon as possible,” said GSA Chief of Staff John Phelps. “This fits perfectly with our reaffirmed agency commitment to focus GSA contracts and expertise where they’re needed most in an emergency, anywhere in the country.”

Federal Supply Schedule

In addition to these initial offerings, the GSA will also open up their entire Federal Supply Schedule. This means that more than 10 million products and services will qualify for disaster relief spending at the state and local level as well. “GSA’s already leveraged the buying power of the federal government to negotiate the most competitive deals with the best of America’s businesses, so let’s put that to work for Americans affected by disasters,” said GSA Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Jim Williams.

Finding out about disaster recovery and relief contracts is simple with the assistance of a government business intelligence company. As soon as a new disaster recovery contract or disaster relief contract is announced at the federal, state or local levels, you’ll be the first to know via email notifications. To find out more about a select number of disaster recovery contracts that are currently available, visit Onvia’s Disaster Contracting Center.