As a government contracting consultant based in Florida, I’ve received over 100 requests to do “disaster work”, mostly debris cleanup, immediately following Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton last year. Many small and medium-sized businesses suddenly see a “golden opportunity” to make money in the 12 hours following the storm and the weeks thereafter. However, much planning needs to occur to set yourself up successfully for contracting opportunities following a disaster.

Below are a few key findings learned after attending the Governor’s Hurricane Conference in May 2025.

SAM.gov and CAGE Code

It is recommended that you seek guidance from an APEX Accelerator consultant before proceeding. The first step would be to register your business in SAM.gov and obtain a CAGE code. Even though this platform is primarily for federal contracts, many state and local governments (and primes) use this as a starting evaluation of your company’s procurement readiness.  

Procurement Readiness

Before we go further, let’s take a closer look at what “procurement readiness” really means — a term you’ll often hear alongside Defense Industrial Base (DIB) or Government Industrial Base (GIB) readiness. Being procurement-ready includes having your business properly registered in your home state — and in Florida, if you plan to do business here in this state or work with a Florida APEX Accelerator. It also means having at least one to two years of commercial experience, having the ability to access capital and a workforce if you need to scale up quickly, and ideally, having the aforementioned years of experience with government contracting or disaster recovery work.

Other actions may be required, but these are the basics. It is strongly encouraged that companies complete these steps because they minimize the government’s concern for risk and improve your chances of being seen as a reliable and competitive government contractor.

To be clear, your government contracting consultant will simply guide you and make recommendations, you must put the work in to accomplish your contracting goals.

Registering as a Vendor

The next suggested action is to register as a vendor in the State of Florida, MyFloridaMarketPlace (MFMP).  Certifications are available there, as well. Also, if eligible, consider pursuing certifications with local counties and cities. During the Governor’s Hurricane Conference, we learned that prime contractors often go to counties to suggest companies that are registered/certified with local municipalities. They also look at MFMP.  It’s possible a company could be eligible to apply for/receive federal certifications, but you must have a SAM.gov registration.

USACE and FEMA

Many think that FEMA is the initiator of any contracting post disaster.  FEMA, as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) gets involved if the need is great and the respective state requests such support, but they are not the primary place to seek contracts. It all begins with counties requesting assistance through the state.

Prepare and Stay Ready

So, here is the bottom line… don’t wait until the storm hits. It’s best to complete any preliminary work now to be “disaster-ready.”  Also, some of the big prime contractors that do much of the clean-up after these events have pre-negotiated contracts with municipalities and several have portals where you can register directly. After meeting with one of the top contractors at the conference who was preparing to submit their proposal to a local county for the 2025 season, I can say that these are the items that you will be asked to provide:

• The kinds of equipment you have at your disposal
• Your capacity/availability to work in a geographic area
• Your insurance certificate
• E-verify complete (if needed)
• Driver’s license or other type of identification

A cautionary note – several private government consulting firms will attempt to sell you a list of companies for marketing your services, charging upwards of $1,000 for the list(s). Please do not do this. I have had clients in the past who have purchased the list, called everyone, and were rewarded with nothing.

As always, the Florida APEX Accelerator is here to help you achieve your government contracting goals. To find the Florida APEX nearest you, please click here.

Karen Krymski, MPH, is a government contracting consultant with the Florida APEX Accelerator at USF. She assists local businesses in the Tampa Bay region (10-County Region) seeking government procurement opportunities.