Disaster & Emergency Contracting
How FEMA, State Emergency Management, and the National Readiness System buy — and how to get your business ready to respond and win.
How disaster contracting is organized
FEMA (federal)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency buys response, recovery, logistics, and infrastructure services during declared disasters — often with small-business set-asides.
State EMA (SEMA)
Every state has an emergency management agency that contracts for coordination, sheltering, transport, and recovery. State portals are separate from SAM.gov.
National Readiness System (NRS)
Deeper disaster intelligence — active declarations, what supplies and services are needed, and matching suppliers to needs — lives in NRS, a separate product.
What agencies buy
Common categories of emergency products and services (examples, not a live solicitation list):
How to get ready
- 1
Register in SAM.gov
Active registration with UEI + CAGE is required for any federal award.
- 2
Align your NAICS codes
Map your services to the codes agencies use for emergency work (e.g., 561210, 562910, 484110, 621610).
- 3
Register with your State EMA
Get on state emergency-management vendor lists — many opportunities never touch SAM.gov.
- 4
Show emergency capability
Document 24/7 operations, surge capacity, insurance, and bonding.
- 5
Pre-position where possible
Standby agreements and pre-negotiated pricing win the fastest-moving work.
- 6
Monitor declarations & sources sought
Watch for disaster declarations and market-research notices to get in early.
Need deeper disaster intelligence?
GovCon Command Center gets you ready. For active disaster declarations, real-time supply and service needs, and supplier–need matching, the National Readiness System (NRS) is the dedicated product. Tell us your emergency-supply capabilities and we'll help you get connected.
Ask about NRS accessNot sure if you're ready?
Take the free readiness assessment for a personalized plan, including disaster-contracting next steps.