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Recent natural disasters are being used as platforms to circulate false information to potential government contractors by companies peddling "priority vendor status" - for a hefty fee, of course. They are promising the "opportunity to help your community for disaster relief efforts and make profits at the same time." Services offered in these solicitations carry a price tag ranging between $195 and $1,200 for a variety of services, including a "priority listing."
However - FEMA does not have a "priority vendor" program.
FEMA does maintain a
legitimate
web site for vendors who wish to voluntarily provide supplemental information on the products or services they would like to furnish to FEMA, and there is no fee to use it. The information is used to assist in secondary market research and is voluntary.
There are steps that companies can take to position themselves to participate in disaster response and recovery efforts. FEMA often needs certain types of items following a disaster, such as office supplies, dumpsters, shredders and other disposal equipment, janitorial supplies, locks, portable toilets, hand washing stations and sometimes material moving equipment such as forklifts. In some areas they need certain services such as certified translators. Keep in mind that most "disaster relief goods" are actually purchased by state-based emergency management offices. A list of those agencies can be found
here. Also note, if you are seeking to do business with FEMA in support of a disaster recovery effort, please be aware that in accordance with the Robert T. Stafford Act, FEMA's goal is to seek local companies within the disaster area for goods and services related to a specific disaster when practical and feasible.
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