Hurricane Sandy struck a devastating punch against large urban areas on the East Coast and set in motion a massive federal cleanup and recovery effort--including opportunities for small businesses.

Federal disaster relief efforts are being led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate told the Washington Times the agency has $3.6 billion immediately available for disaster relief, although lawmakers in affected areas are saying more may be needed.

In addition to emergency activities, there are ongoing recovery operations for electricity and gas lines, communications systems, roads, transit systems and public facilities as well as provisions of food, shelter, water and supplies to victims and responders.

Agencies including the General Services Administration, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Army Corps of Engineers also are actively involved in post-Sandy relief and recovery.

“The Army Corps has a significant response effort,” David Morrow, deputy district engineer for programs & project management, told Set-Aside Alert.

The corps’ primary mission in disaster recovery is debris removal, but its tasks also can include providing temporary housing, water removal (unwatering) and power restoration, Morrow said.

Most of the relief and recovery work is being coordinated by FEMA, nd FEMA and other agencies typically use use pre-existing contracts and GSA schedules in disaster relief.

Vendors should register with FEMA’s Industry Liaison program, and fill out the disaster relief elements section in the SAM.gov contractor registry.

It’s not too late to register, advises Sean Tucker, assistant managing editor at GovWin. “The scale of post-Sandy relief efforts may mean some new contractors are needed, and even if not, companies that register now will be in position to help with the next big storm,” he wrote in a blog entry.

Presidential disaster declarations were made in 11 states (CT, DE, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA and WV) and the District of Columbia. Those declarations give FEMA flexibility that could benefit small businesses, Tucker added.

For example, the Micro-Purchase Threshold increases five-fold, to $15,000, from $3,000.

The Simplified Acquisition Threshold doubles to $300,000, from $150,000. Contracts under that threshold are reserved for small businesses, and sole source awards may be made quickly.

Defense Department, National Guard (Army and Air Force), NORTHCOM, Health & Human Services, Energy, National Business Emergency Operations Center, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Coast Guard, Housing & Urban Development, USDA and USPS also are involved in relief efforts, along with state and local agencies.

The Small Business Administration published a bulletin on Nov. 2 outlining several solicitations of interest to small vendors:

1. Responder Accomodations
Solicitation# ZZH-7072
Agency: FEMA, Support Services Branch

2. FPS PROTECTIVE SECURITY OFFICER (PSO)
Solicitation#FPS-NJ-FEMA
Agency: Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Headquarters Procurement Div., Washington DC

3. FPS PROTECTIVE SECURITY OFFICER (PSO)
Solicitation#FPS-Pennsylvania-FEMA
Agency: Homeland Security, OCPO, Office of Procurement Operations, FPS

4. STAGE 2 BABY FOOD
Solicitation#HSFE70-13-Q-0007
Agency: FEMA, Logistics Branch

5. Sleeping Cots
Solicitation#HSFE01-13-R-1300
Agency: FEMA, Acquisition Operations Division

6. ASL Translation Service
Solicitation#HSFE01-13-R-1301
Agency: Department of Homeland Security
Office: Federal Emergency Management Agency
Location: Acquisition Operations Division (AOD)

7. Water Tankers
Solicitation#USARTankerRFI
Agency: FEMA, Acquisition Operations Division

More information:
SBA Bulletin: http://goo.gl/k3wht
GovWin Blog: http://goo.gl/yyRN7