While 2023 was a relatively mild hurricane season, storms and hurricanes are likely to increasingly affect communities. As such, the demand for hurricane cleanup jobs and disaster relief providers has become more crucial than ever before. If you’re looking to bid on these types of government contracting jobs, it’s important to understand the following five facts.
- Contractors Must Comply With All Regulations
If you intend to bid on hurricane relief jobs, it is crucial that you understand all pertinent safety and environmental regulations. Understanding OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) standards, and local environmental protection laws is essential to ensure the safety of workers and compliance with legal requirements.
- Contractors Must Be Able To Provide A Rapid Response
In disaster relief, timing is critical. Contractors should be prepared for rapid deployment and flexible operations, as the scope of work can change quickly depending on the severity and aftermath of the storm or hurricane. Whether you are offering security services, bottled water, debris removal or any type of disaster relief service, being able to be fast and flexible is key.
- Disaster Relief Is Unique, And Not Your Only Option
In general, federal contractor jobs are offered when an agency has a specific need for goods or services. When this occurs, the procurement agents for that agency create a contract to fulfill those needs and then companies will bid on these contracts.
However, disaster relief is unique in that agencies such as FEMA must be prepared in advance of a disaster. As such, contractors are in the unique position of being able to bid on any current government contracts for goods or services as well as Advance Contracts. These are contracting jobs that FEMA puts into place to ensure that they are ready to provide disaster relief services at a moment’s notice.
Additionally, contractors also can look into GSA contracts, also known as GSA schedules. The General Services Administration procures goods and services for all federal agencies, and their “schedules” are long-term government contracts with pre-negotiated pricing and procurement agents from federal, state and local governments can purchase goods and services from GSA schedules. While it can be difficult to win a GSA contract, once you’ve been approved, it helps you bypass the bidding process as these vendors are authorized to provide services for any agency at agreed-upon prices.
It is important for government contractors to research all of the different types of contracts that might be available, and understand that with disaster relief, you may enter into a contract to provide future services whenever an agency is called on to provide disaster relief.
It’s also important for contractors to understand that disaster relief jobs might not be the only opportunity available for your business. There are hundreds of government agencies and all of them procure their goods and services from the private sector. Rather than focusing solely on disaster cleanup jobs or hurricane relief jobs, we recommend searching for any government contracting opportunities that might fit the goods and services you provide.
Contractors often become fixated on working with FEMA or other federal agencies, but state disaster relief contracts can be just as lucrative. If you live in a state prone to severe weather, your state will offer hurricane cleanup jobs or whatever type of disaster might occur, from tornadoes to floods to fires as well as pandemics, building collapses, etc.
- Disaster Relief Needs Are Vast
When we think about disaster relief, cleanup tasks often spring to mind, but that’s just one of many needs after a disaster occurs. For instance, if you can provide potable water or food services, these often are needed when a disaster occurs. Medical supplies, tents, cots, security services, emergency fencing, repair services and temporary shelters are a few of the many other items that might be needed.
We encourage all business owners to check out the contract opportunities available in the System for Award Management (SAM). This is the central database that includes information about all government contractors as well as all government contracting opportunities. Whether you end up providing disaster relief services or just find contracts that match your goods and services, government contracting can serve as an excellent way to boost your profits while helping the government fulfill its goal of serving its citizens.
- SAM Registration Is Required
Whether you wish to bid on FEMA contractor jobs or any type of disaster relief job, including hurricane relief jobs, you must complete SAM registration and maintain an active account in the System for Award Management. Aside from determining whether or not you have goods and services needed by the government, this is usually your first step into the world of government contracting.
At Federal Contractor Registry, we can help you with this task, which is highly complicated and can take 10 or more hours to complete. The government does not charge a fee for SAM registration or SAM renewal, but they also haven’t made the process easy or fast. There are multiple sections to the registration document all filled with confusing government-speak. Many people become so frustrated by this process that they give up on the idea of government contracting.
A simple solution is to hire a third-party SAM registration service to handle this task for you. We handle hundreds of registrations and renewals throughout the year and will complete your SAM registration quickly and 100% accurately so that you can begin bidding on contracting jobs, including hurricane relief jobs, as soon as possible. To get started, simply click on the green New Registration tab on our homepage and fill out our quick contact form.