Hi Folks;
New here, been lurking for awhile. found this on FEMA's site.
DHS seal - FEMA
FEMA Solicits Small, Local And Minority-Owned Businesses For Katrina-Related Contracts
Release Date: October 8, 2005
Release Number: HQ-05-332
Washington, D.C. -- The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to contract with small, local and minority-owned businesses during the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. To date, small businesses account for 72 percent of contract dollars for Katrina recovery efforts. FEMA has also held outreach events in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi to notify local and minority-owned businesses of FEMA contract needs.
Along with getting the needed resources to the affected communities and individuals, FEMA has placed a priority on assisting the Gulf region with economic and infrastructure recovery. FEMA will continue to award contracts to small, local and minority-owned businesses to encourage putting federal contracting dollars back into the affected states.
"Our priority is to help the Gulf Coast region recover from this devastating disaster," Acting FEMA Director R. David Paulison said. "One of our priorities in this recovery is to work with small, local and minority-owned businesses – including those based in the Gulf states – to assist in the economic recovery of this region."
FEMA has held outreach events in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi to share contracting information with small, local and minority-owned businesses, based in communities affected by Hurricane Katrina. At these seminars, FEMA provides business owners with information about what supplies and services are needed to support hurricane relief efforts and how these businesses can contract with the federal government.
To ensure FEMA helps bring business to the affected communities, contracting officers have consulted with representatives from FEMA's Equal Employment Opportunity office, Mississippi's Small Business Development Center, the State of Louisiana's Socio-Economic Department, the Louisiana Governor's office and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People leaders to identify small and local businesses.
Small, local and minority-owned business owners are encouraged to visit the following web sites for more information on government contracting opportunities:
* www.dhs.gov/openforbusiness
* www.gsaadvantage.gov
* www.ccr.gov
* www.sba.gov
FEMA also encourages businesses to register online with the National Emergency Resource Registry at www.nerr.gov where companies can be contacted for their products and services. FEMA routinely searches this database for businesses that can provide needed resources for disaster recovery efforts.
As more contracts are awarded and recovery continues in the Gulf region, FEMA will use standard contracting procedures, including the re-competing of several large-scale contracts for temporary housing. Future contracting opportunities with FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security will be posted on www.fedbizopps.gov.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Updated: Saturday, 08-Oct-2005 10:30:45
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