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THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE FEMA TENDER OF SERVICE PROGRAM |
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The STOS 2021 Program Year Comes To An End
To our 2021 Approved TSPs, we want to express our sincere thanks and appreciation, for the services you provided not only to FEMA, but also the American people during the 2021 FEMA Tender of Service Program year. Your contributions and services made it possible for FEMA to conduct their primary mission of helping people before, during and after disasters. The 2021 program year officially ends on April 30th, 2021 so you will still be eligible to receive transportation opportunities until that date. If you re-registered for the 2022 program year, we look forward to our continued partnership. If you did not re-register for the new program year, we hope to do business with you again in the future.
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In This Issue
2021 Program Year Ending
Do You Know Your UEI?
2022 STOS Rate Filing Cycle
FEMA Industry Day
Maintaining Your Eligibility
Onboarding Survey Results
Frequently Asked Questions
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Do You Know Your UEI?
The System for Award Management (SAM) will transition from the 9-digit Duns and Bradstreet (DUNS) number to the 12-digit alphanumeric Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) to uniquely identify entities registered in the SAM. The transition from DUNS to UEI is a coordinated federal government initiative scheduled to take place on April 4th, 2022. For any TSP that is already registered in SAM, you were already issued a UEI. If you are not registered with SAM, you must request a UEI through SAM.gov.
So what does this transition mean to you? With the change to UEI, you will no longer be required to obtain an identifier from a third-party website such as DUNS. You will also need to know your UEI when onboarding with the FEMA Tender of Service Program for the 2023 program year. As a Transportation Service Provider (TSP), how can you check what your UEI is?
- If you have a registration (even if it has expired), you already have a UEI. You can find it by signing into SAM.gov and selecting the Entity Management widget in their Workspace or signing in and searching entity information.
- There is an interactive guide that you can use to help you know how you are affected by the change from DUNS to UEI. Below is the link to the interactive guide: https://www.fsd.gov/sys_attachment.do?sys_id=d84deb6f1bc68dd40ca4a97ae54bcbe7
To learn more about the transition from DUNS to the UEI, visit https://sam.gov/content/duns-uei.
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2022 STOS Rate Filing Cycle Ends
FEMA recently conducted its annual Rate Filing Cycle for the 2022 Program Year. This year's rate filing cycle was open from March 2nd, 2022, and ended on March 30th, 2022. The purpose of the rate filing cycle was to solicit rates for Full Truckload, Less Than Truckload, and Accessorial services. Only TSPs approved to provide Motor Freight services to FEMA were eligible to submit rates during the Open Rate Filing Cycle. The rates submitted during the Open Rate Filing Cycle are effective from May 1st, 2022 and end on April 30th, 2022. Keep in mind that Motor Freight TSPs that submitted rates are still eligible to receive One Time Only(OTO) Spot Bid shipments from FEMA. To learn more about how FEMA awards transportation opportunities, review the FEMA STOS policy located on our program website at www.fema.gov/transportation-programs.
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FEMA Industry Day
SAVE THE DATE: May 10th, 2022. FEMA is hosting another Industry Day! The FEMA Industry Day is an annual event that allows TSPs and vendors interested in doing business with FEMA to meet and greet. The event will enable FEMA to share information with our vendors and solicit feedback. Due to COVID-19, FEMA had to cancel the event the previous two years, but we're bringing it back, albeit virtually, for 2022.
We will discuss the FEMA Tender of Service Program, provide an overview of FEMA Transportation, discuss FEMA Transportation Operations, how to Obtain Contracts, and much more! Keep an eye out for the Industry Day flyer, which will be posted on SAM.gov soon, and be sure to register once the details are available.
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Maintaining Your Eligibility as a FEMA TSP
The 2022 Program Year is quickly approaching and will take effect on May 1st, 2022. If you were approved to provide transportation services to FEMA for the 2022 program year, we have few helpful hints to ensure that you remain mission ready to respond at any time:
- All FEMA TSP users must have their own LSCMS account - Some TSPs may have multiple individuals assisting them in managing the FEMA loads they have been awarded. It is important that each person who will use LSCMS has their own LSCMS login credentials. If you need to add or remove a user, please send us an email and we will take care of it.
- At least one user per organization must have access to Web Tenders - The ability to access Web Tenders is critical to your success as a FEMA TSP. When you are awarded a FEMA move, you will use the Web Tenders option in LSCMS to view the shipment, provide status updates, and print your BOLs. This can have an impact on your company's performance ratings and compliance scores, so ensure that at least one member of your team has access to Web Tenders before being awarded a load from FEMA.
- Keep your System for Award Management (SAM) registration status active - Your SAM registration must be renewed every 12 months. Check to see when your active status will expire and set a reminder to renew it as the date approaches. Keep in mind that in order to do business with any government agency, you must have an active registration in SAM.
- Respond to all FEMA requests for transportation - FEMA awards transportation in two ways. One by using the Motor Freight rates submitted into the system during the open rate filing cycle, and the other with One Time Only (OTO) Spot Bids. Please respond via email to the FEMA Operations and FEMA Transportation Program teams at FEMA-LMD-TRANS@fema.dhs.gov and FEMA-transportation programs@fema.dhs.gov if you receive an email requesting a quote for a shipment or verification of a rate you submitted. Please notify FEMA even if you are unable to support that specific shipment.
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2022 STOS Onboarding Survey Results
Based on our recent onboarding surveys, the STOS Onboarding team achieved an 99% average TSP satisfaction rating. We sent out surveys to 563 TSPs that participated in the 2022 Onboarding Process to get their feedback on the onboarding process and ways we can improve for the next onboarding season. Congrats to the STOS team!
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The #1 reason TSPs join the FEMA Tender of Service program, is to serve during a time of need by providing transportation services to FEMA before, during and after disasters
62.7% of TSPs surveyed said it was their first time onboarding into the FEMA Tender of Service Program. There are many resources available on our program website to help TSPs become familiar with the FEMA Tender of Service Program and to understand what is expected of them as a FEMA TSP.
88.7% of TSPs surveyed said they were satisfied with the onboarding process. We worked hard to ensure that TSPs understood what the onboarding requirements were and to answer any questions received in a timely manner.
81.1% of TSPs surveyed said the time provided to onboard for the 2022 Program Year was more than sufficient. TSPs that were interested in onboarding with the FEMA Tender of Service Program had from November 16th, 2021 through February 2, 2022 to onboard for the 2022 program year.
90% of TSPs surveyed said they were interested in onboarding for the 2023 program year. For the 2023 program year, we are working on developing additional training resources for new and returning TSPs. We hope that these extra tools will make the onboarding process much smoother and easier to understand.
As a reminder, our program's website (www.fema.gov/transportation-programs) is an excellent resource for anyone interested in becoming a FEMA Transportation Service Provider or learning more about the FEMA Tender of Service Program.
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The Question Section
Q: My Company submitted our rates during the Open Rate Filing Cycle, when do the rates go into effect?
A: Rates submitted by FEMA approved Motor Freight TSPs during the open rate filing cycle will take effect on May 1st, 2022. This is the start of the 2022 program year, and beginning on this date, all FEMA-Approved TSPs will be eligible to receive transportation opportunities.
Q: We are an approved FEMA Transportation Service Provider for the 2022 Program Year, but did not submit rates during the Open Rate Filing cycle. Are we still eligible to receive One Time Only Spot Bids on FEMA loads?
A: Yes. Keep in mind that submitting rates during the rate filing cycle was optional. All FEMA Approved TSPs are eligible for One-Time-Only Spot Bids for the modes of transportation for which they have been approved to provide to FEMA.
Q: During the open rate filing cycle, I received another set of login credentials. Which login do I use to view and update FEMA-awarded shipments?
A: The second set of login credentials you received were only for logging into the Transportation Procurement (TP) system and submitting your rates during the rate filing cycle. You will use your regular LSCMS login credentials to view, update transportation statuses, and print Bill of Ladings.
Q: My Company is a registered Small Business. Does the FEMA Tender of Service Program, show preference to small business owners?
A: The FEMA Tender of Service Program does not show preference to Small Businesses, Asset Based Companies or Freight Broker Companies. We accept all TSPs that meet the requirements for onboarding into the FEMA Tender of Service Program.
Q: My Company is a 2021 approved FEMA TSP but did not re-register for the 2022 program year. Is there a way we can still receive transportation opportunities during the new program year?
A: Unfortunately no. After April 30th, 2022, previously approved TSPs that did not re-register for the 2022 program year will be ineligible to receive FEMA transportation offers. This is the last day of the the 2021 Program Year.
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