The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is charged with helping Americans in the wake of all types of disasters, including hurricanes, fires, floods, tornadoes, pandemics and more. FEMA disaster jobs can be a lucrative option for many companies, but there are a few things you need to know before you consider working with FEMA or any government agency.
1. SAM Registration is Required
The first step toward working with the federal government (or even most state and local governments) is to complete your System for Award Management (SAM) registration. The System for Award Management is the database that includes information about all government contractors.
Once you register and your application is approved, you will receive a Corporate and Government Entities Code, or CAGE Code. This is your unique identifier in SAM and without a CAGE Code and an active SAM registration you cannot bid on FEMA disaster jobs or jobs with any other federal government agency.
At Federal Contractor Registry, we can complete your SAM registration quickly and accurately. We do charge a fee for our services, and you might be wondering why you would pay for SAM registration services when you could go to SAM.gov and complete this task yourself at no charge.
Unfortunately, while the government does not charge a fee to register with SAM, it’s a complicated and frustrating process. The application can take 10 or more hours to complete and is filled with a myriad of confusing acronyms and government-speak.
We get calls every day from folks that started the registration process and quickly became confused. Many others just give up, and that’s a shame. The government spends billions each year on contracting jobs, and this can be solid income for your business. Hire us to complete your SAM registration and we will handle your registration quickly so that you can start bidding on FEMA disaster jobs or jobs with other agencies.
2. Learn How To Find FEMA Disaster Jobs
In some cases, FEMA jobs are easier to attain than other government contracting jobs simply because FEMA will need many goods and services very quickly if there is a disaster. If you can provide natural disaster clean-up, tents, cots, temporary shelters, medical kits, water, portable toilets, blankets etc. in a timely fashion, these are just a few things FEMA might need very quickly.
Of course, FEMA also gathers supplies throughout the year so that they will be prepared in advance when a disaster occurs. Sometimes it’s not just about FEMA disaster jobs, it’s also about supplying FEMA so that it will be prepared for an emergency.
At any rate, to get an idea of the types of jobs that are available, you will want to head to Beta.SAM.gov. This is the search engine for government contractor jobs. In the past, FedBizOpps.gov or FBO.gov was where you went to search for jobs, but this site is obsolete.
At Beta.SAM.gov, you can search for jobs using a variety of parameters, but for those hoping to become FEMA contractors, you will want to go under the Federal Organizations taskbar and type in Federal Emergency Management Agency. Typing in the acronym FEMA will not work. From there, you can browse through the results or perhaps tack on a few other parameters to your search, such as your NAICS codes or PSCs (Product Service Codes). Both of these codes indicate the type of goods or services your business can provide, and we can help you determine these codes as we complete your SAM registration.
A recent search at Beta.SAM.gov came up with hundreds of contracting jobs, some were current, others were closed to bidding. The types of jobs ranged from mold inspection services to ASL interpreting services to generator maintenance and much more.
Keep in mind, once your complete SAM registration and are approved, you can work with any government agency. You don’t have to just limit yourself to FEMA. There are hundreds of federal agencies and offices and they all need government contractors from time to time. Your state government also needs government contracting jobs, and these can be just as lucrative as the federal contracting jobs.
3. Determine If You Qualify For Set Asides
While government contracting jobs are available for all types and sizes of businesses, the government takes extra steps to try and promote small businesses. They do this by setting aside a portion of government contracting dollars specifically for small businesses.
You can go to SBA.gov to see if you qualify as a small business, and to learn more about “Set Asides.” These are categories, such as a woman-owned small business, a veteran-owned small business and several others. Basically, if your business is owned, 50% or more, by a veteran or a person who is considered disadvantaged (due to gender, race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, disability, etc.), the government sets aside contracting dollars for these businesses.
In order to qualify for set asides, you will need to register with the Small Business Administration. The SBA’s website also can be a great resource for small business owners in general. They provide helpful tips for business owners, webinars, loans and much more to help you grow your business. We highly recommend that you take a look at all SBA has to offer and take advantage of it.
4. Differentiate Your Company With A Killer Capability Statement
Everyone needs a great resume, right? Well, a capability statement is a resume for your company, and all government procurement agents will expect you to have one. Typically, you want to keep this statement to just one or two pages, just as you would with a regular resume, however, it does have some key differences from a typical American resume.
The sections of a capability statement should include:
• Contact Information – The phone number & email of the person in your company that is the main contact for government contracting
• Company Details – This includes NAICS codes, PSCs, Set Asides, your CAGE Code, etc.
• A Corporate Overview – This is a brief description of your company and its goods and services, and possibly a quick discussion of your mission statement and standards.
• Core Competencies – This usually should be a list of all of the services you can provide
• Past Performances – This is a list of previous or current clients
• Differentiators – This is an area where you set yourself apart from other similar companies, perhaps you might list your years of experience, on-going training, awards, you are family-owned, etc.
Whether you are bidding on FEMA disaster jobs or trying to work with another federal agency or even a state agency, they will all expect you to have a capability statement. You can create this yourself or contact a company that specializes in creating capability statements. Just as with resume writing, there are experts that can help you with this document.
5. Consider GSA Schedules
The General Services Administration is the agency that manages all federal property and also helps provide goods and services for federal agencies. For instance, they manage many government buildings (such as courthouses), and they provide cars, trucks and vans to government agencies.
While we could write a book or at least a lengthy brochure about GSA schedules, here’s a basic definition. If you get on a GSA schedule, you are an approved vendor for the U.S. federal government. You have a long-term contract with the government and about 20% of all federal contracting dollars are spent via GSA schedules.
Earning GSA contracts can take time, and it’s a complicated process, but it can make it easier for you to sell goods and services to the government. In many cases, you can bypass the whole contracting process and sell more quickly and easily to various government agencies.
It can take up to a year to get approved for a GSA schedule, so understand it is absolutely not a quick process, but once you are in, you become a go-to vendor for government agencies (including FEMA) for many years. To learn more, go to GSA.gov. Keep in mind, you can continue to bid on other government contracts even if you are on a GSA schedule.
To wrap up, FEMA disaster jobs can be quite profitable, but there’s a lot for potential contractors to learn before diving into the process. In many cases, it can take a year or more to earn that first contract, but we highly recommend that you stick with it. If you want to get started, give us a call today or click on the New Registration tab on our homepage, and we will complete your SAM registration as quickly as possible. We also offer SAM renewal services, which need to be completed every year, and usually several months in advance of your expiration date.