40 small biz learn how to do business with FEMA

Businesses got a chance yesterday to link up and work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in its efforts to respond to disasters on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

In an “Industry Day” that FEMA hosted at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center yesterday from 10am to 4pm, it reached out to local small businesses that FEMA could tap when it responds in times of disasters like typhoons.

“When local disasters are declared, we are trying to get local businesses [to join] and put the money back to the community,” said FEMA Region IX contracting officer Demetria Carter.

She that about 40 small businesses joined the event and she hopes that more companies can register with FEMA in the future. “Our current goal is to register these businesses and to provide them overall information and educational information on doing business with FEMA,” Carter said.

Right now, FEMA has contracts with larger businesses in the CNMI. With this “Industry Day” opportunity, small businesses can put a foot in the FEMA door and obtain the benefits that these larger companies are currently getting when contracting with FEMA.

Carter said that small businesses would benefit greatly from a partnership with FEMA.

She pointed out that from Super Typhoon Yutu alone, local businesses in the CNMI got $18.18 million from FEMA, while non-local businesses got a total of $68 million.

Carter said that FEMA would like to hold future events like yesterday’s “Industry Day” every year.

One attendee said that this opportunity to work with FEMA will help him grow his business and enables him to see other possibilities of how he can work with FEMA further.

According to FEMA’s website, the Industry Liaison Program establishes strategic relationships with suppliers and stakeholders. This serves as an information provider for suppliers seeking to do business with FEMA and it connects suppliers with program offices in support of FEMA’s mission.

“FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards,” the agency website said.

Presenters from the Guam Procurement Technical Assistance Center and the CNMI Small Business Development Center also showed businesses some possible opportunities with them.