Construction Law
How to Become Eligible for Hurricane Relief Contracting Work in North Carolina Part 2
In this three-part article series, we are offering insight to nonresident contractors on opportunities to obtain licensing in North Carolina to work on hurricane relief projects. In the last section, we covered a few tasks all contractors should accomplish to increase their odds of being selected for hurricane relief contracting work. In this section, we will focus on federal agency opportunities to procure disaster restoration work. Remember, nonresident contractors can consult a Charlotte contractor attorney for help placing successful bids on projects and also to ensure they are in compliance with state licensing laws.
Federal Opportunities
Contracting firms interested in procuring government contracts with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can register on their government-operated website, the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM contains a Disaster Response Registry section which lists construction firms that are willing and permitted to provide disaster relief services including “debris removal, distribution of supplies, reconstruction, and other disaster or emergency relief supplies and/or services.”
It’s important to note that along with submitting the electronic application form, businesses are required to mail a notarized letter from their company’s president, chief executive officer, or other authorized representative as part of the registration process. Completing the online registration with SAM is free and the application can be processed within as little as a few weeks or up to 30 days.
Navigating Through the Disaster Response Registry
Once your SAM account is activated and your business can access the government site, you can access the Disaster Response Registry and search for entities by doing the following:
- Visit www.sam.gov
- Log in to your account
- Choose “Search Records” from the main page
- Choose “Disaster Response Registry Search”
- From here you can search everything from active and inactive business entities to the location served to the socio-economic status of the business (for example, minority or women-owned businesses), among other search options
The Disaster Response Registry also collects information in regard to the bonding level of the construction firm listed and the geographical area they are interested in serving to simplify the procurement process. You can read more about the Disaster Response Registry and how to become a prospective vendor for disaster response projects in this document.
If you are interested in learning about how to obtain a North Carolina general contracting license, please read the third section.
If you would like to speak with a Charlotte construction litigation attorney, please contact us today.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.